A vintage black and white photograph signed by the Apollo II crew is available at IAA Auctions on 30th November with an €8,000 - €12,000 estimate.
The 11 inch x 11 inch photograph is special as it shows Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon - the majority of signed photos of the Apollo crew are official NASA portraits.
Only a handful of photos of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin actually on the moon surface exist as Armstrong had been appointed the chief photographer on the Apollo Mission.
Therefore this photo was actually captured by the camera mounted inside the Lunar Module and shows Armstrong and Aldrin during the flag deployment, planting the US flag in the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon's surface.
The photo has subsequently been signed by Armstrong and Aldrin and Michael Collins, the third member of the Apollo II crew who had remained on the command module Columbia orbiting 60 miles above.
Armstrong has added the handwritten note:
Tranquility Base, Moon Landing of Apollo 11, 20 July 1969,
The provenance of the item adds additional interest as the photograph was signed for the British television presenter and founder of the Guinness Book of Records, Norris McWhirter.
The item last sold at Dominic Winter auctions in December 2021 for £12,000, and was offered again at Heritage Auctions in April 2022 but went unsold with a $35,000 estimate.
The Celebrity Memorabilia Index values a signed portrait photo of the three Apollo II astronauts at £7,500 so circa £12,000 for such a historical photograph appears to be bang on the money.
About your Author:
Adrian Roose has over 30 years’ experience covering all aspects of the rare stamp & memorabilia industry during which he has sold over £50m of unique items, helping build collections for Royalty, household name celebrities and 1,000s of collectors around the world.
Adrian was previously a Director at Stanley Gibbons, a Board Member of Stampex, and Executive Director of Paul Fraser Collectibles, PFC Auctions and JustCollecting, prior to founding The Memorabilia Club.