An upcoming sale of space memorabilia is expected to feature strong results for two Robbins medals from the Apollo 11 mission.
 Robbins medal from the Apollo 11 Mission |
The medals were created by the Robbins Company in Massachusetts specifically for astronauts who were due to fly into space. The astronauts then had the opportunity to buy the medals as souvenirs.
Among an array of the coveted space medals are two examples from the Apollo 11 mission, which saw the first humans land on the moon in 1969.
The first, a medal actually flown aboard the Apollo 11 when it made its historic journey, comes from the collection of fellow moonwalker, Alan Bean.
The second of the medals is one of the few examples not flown aboard the Apollo 11 which, according to the auction house, are actually rarer than those that were.
Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins reported that nine medals went missing from his personal collection before the launch, with this one showing up years later in the estate of a woman who had worked at the Kennedy Space Centre.
The sale could provide a superb investment opportunity for space collectors, with a minimum bid of $1,000 set for the flown medal. In January 2011, the same auction house sold a very similar medal for $33,000, pushing expectations of the current sale even higher.
PFC Auctions, our sister company, opened its May auction yesterday (May 3) and is featuring a flag signed by Neil Armstrong.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will be bringing you more from the space auction, which runs from May 17 to 23, in the next few days, so be sure to check back regularly to avoid missing out.
