Neil Armstrong’s personally-owned gold medal, flown to the moon with him on his historic Apollo 11 landing, sold for $2,055,000 on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at a public auction of rare space memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
The solid gold Robbins Medal was a cherished keepsake and the highlight of the beginning of a three-day auction event, which includes Part III of The Armstrong Family Collection. Even the moonwalker’s well-loved childhood teddy bear sold for $3,500.
“The response from admirers of Mission Commander Armstrong’s contribution to humanity has been simply overwhelming,” said Michael Riley, Director of Space Exploration at Heritage Auctions.
Two national treasures Armstrong carried with him to the moon sparked competitive bidding as collectors bid $143,750 for a 1-1/4” swath of muslin cloth from the left wing of the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer and a section of the flyer’s propeller ended at $150,000. The largest American flag flown aboard Apollo 11, directly from Armstrong’s collection, sold for $137,500 and a 4” x 6” silk American flag flown to the moon sold for $65,625.
His personal copy of NASA’s “Preliminary Apollo 11 Flight Plan,” dated April 24, 1969, and featuring a fascinating, 134-page timeline of crew activities, planned minute by minute for a successful mission, sold for $112,500. His personally owned and worn early Apollo-era flight suit, a rare piece of early spaceflight memorabilia and one of just a few known to exist, ended at $81,250.
A never before seen, internal NASA memo regarding whether to coach Armstrong on what to say during his descent to the lunar surface finally gives the public an understanding of how important the moment would be for humanity. The memo comes from NASA’s Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs Julian Sheer, who writes that the space agency should not coach the astronauts because “... the truest emotion at the historic moment is what the explorer feels within himself ...” Bidders pushed the sale price to $30,000.
Heritage Auctions’ presentation of The Armstrong Family Collection Part III continues Wednesday and Thursday, July 17-18, with real time bidding available on HA.com/Armstrong.
