An Apollo 11 flown quarantine cover is valued at more than $27,500 ahead of a sale of space memorabilia at Heritage Auctions.
Also known as insurance covers, these postcards were conceived as a way to raise money for the families of astronauts should the unthinkable happen.
Only 214 of these covers were carried on the Apollo 11 mission
That's because insurance companies were reluctant to cover such a risky endeavour.
Most of these signed covers were cancelled on the day of launch and held at NASA’s HQ.
However, around 214 were carried on the mission.
They were split among the crew to provide them with a little extra income when they returned.
This example is from Command Module pilot Michael Collins’ allotment.
It’s stamped "Delayed In Quarantine At/ Lunar Receiving Laboratory/ M.S.C. - Houston, Texas" and cancelled with an August 11, 1969 handstamp – the date the crew were released.
These flown covers are enduringly popular pieces of memorabilia and regularly sell for up to $50,000.
We have a complete collection of Apollo 11 crew autographs for sale.
There’s also an Apollo 12 flown lunar tether, used to help astronauts lift themselves up to the Command Module from the lunar surface.
It’s mounted to a plaque, which is inscribed: “This tether was flown to the Ocean of Storms, Moon, November 1969, and is qualified to extract astronauts from sticky situations."
The lot is offered with an opening bid of $21,875.
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