On Saturday, October 16, Lunar Legacies held a high quality sale of Space Memorabilia. Various segments of astronaut history were represented, with Gemini and Mercury missions, Skylab and Space shuttles all getting a look in.
But the sale was dominated by the Apollo missions, which was inevitable given that of the near 400 lots around 300 were from those aiming for and reaching the Moon.
The lots which most excited bidders were as follows:
Firstly, there was a set of Apollo 13 Lunar Module Lunar Surface Maps. To be precise: an original and vintage 8½"x 10½" Apollo 13 Lunar Module Lunar Surface Maps book consisting of 36 one-sided Fra Mauro Region area lunar terrain maps and 13 page-sides of heavy traverse maps (and tasks lists on the back) for a total of over 60 sides.
 Apollo 13 map book |
All the maps in this book are made of a flexible plastic material - the traverse maps are made from quite heavy plastic, heavier than the others. The set is very rare and complete, and of course has a poignancy as the Apollo 13ers had to abandon the Moon.
It sold as expected for $2,200. Another important booklet on offer was a Apollo 15 Lunar Module Lunar Surface Checklist which was heavily used in training by Apollo 15 astronauts, Scott and Irwin, in the Lunar Module Simulator at KSC.
The tabs are worn from heavy use, but the pages are still in good condition. Quite a few annotations appear inside, giving an insight into the training process and adding to the mystique of the item. It too sold for $2,200, against an estimate of $1,500-2,000.
 Aldrin-signed Armstrong Checklist |
The top lot, however, was a classic from Apollo 11. It is a Spacesuit EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) Arm Checklist from training for the mission, signed by Buzz Aldrin. The checklist was actually his fellow moonwalker Neil Armstrong's.
Giving instructions for deployment of the EASEP (Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package)on the lunar surface by the Apollo 11 astronauts, it is in great condition and extremely rare. The piece sold for $3,000 - which frankly we think was something of a bargain for the buyer, considering what an excellent investment and fascinating piece of history it is.
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