Apollo 15 lunar lens makes $370,000 in April 21 sale

A Zeiss camera lens carried on to the lunar surface during the 1971 Apollo 15 mission has sold for $370,026.

The lot crossed the block at RR Auction on April 21.

Zeiss lens RR
The lens is from the collection of astronaut Dave Scott

Astronaut Dave Scott used it to take around 300 photographs, some of which are among the most iconic images captured during the Apollo era.

Apollo 15 was hugely successful, with astronauts spending three days on the surface of the Moon - the longest time to date.

The lot is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Scott that reads: "After our three days on the Moon, [the lens] was returned to the Command Module in lunar orbit where it was used for two more days to photograph the surface of the Moon.

"After the mission, I received the lens from NASA as a memento of the mission and it has been in my personal collection since that time."

The range of space memorabilia coming up for auction has increased dramatically in recent years, following a 2012 relaxation of laws preventing astronauts from selling their memorabilia.

Camera equipment has been among the most popular, with a Hasselblad camera used by Apollo 15 astronaut Jim Irwin selling for $910,400 in 2014.

Other highlights of the sale included Dave Scott's flown Apollo 17 Robbins medal, which realised $67,292.

Only 80 Robbins medals were taken aboard Apollo 17, the lowest of any mission in the series.

We have an amazing array of space memorabilia for sale, click here to take a look.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about space and aviation memorabilia auctions.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock