Space Auction Gives Boomers the Chance to Own Memories by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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Space Auction Gives Boomers the Chance to Own Memories

Humans are a curious sort. As far as I know, we are the only creatures that possess sentimentality for objects. I try to explain this to my wife each time we visit the pet store. She always seems to find a new stuffed toy for our dog. She'll go on and on about how cute the toy is and why the dog will love it. In turn, I explain that if we just stuffed a tennis ball in a sock, the dog would be just as happy. I lose.

Underscoring our fascination with objects that evoke memories or emotions are antique stores and auctions specializing in collectibles. Regency/Superior Auctions is a firm that, in the 1980s, began in auctioning only collectible postage stamps. It has since expanded into areas that are of particular interest to baby boomers. Those would include categories, such as Hollywood memorabilia, autographs, sports collectibles, World War II items and space.

The latter is probably of the most interest to people over 40. I say that because of the intrigue the public had with the concept of outer space back in the 1950s and '60s. The dream of most kids was to become an astronaut. The fascination was equally huge for adults as men began to orbit the earth and finally land on the moon. Today, you would be hard pressed to find a child who knows if a shuttle is currently in orbit much less the name of one person in the International Space Station.

Taking place on Jan. 16 and 17 in St. Louis, this Regency/Superior auction is sure to be of interest to anyone who lived through the early days of space travel and exploration. In the auction are hundreds of nostalgic space-related artifacts, both from Russia and America as well as a few entries from the recent advent of the Chinese space program.

Abundant in the auction are autographs and signed photos of astronauts from the early years of space flight. Many are somewhat elusive. For instance, Neil Armstrong no longer signs autographs for admirers. That could be because he signed quite a few over the years after his return from the moon.

Still, envelopes and related items containing his signature command between $500 and $2,000 today. A number of those are in the upcoming sale.

Most rare is one envelope being auctioned bearing the signatures of all three Apollo 11 astronauts including Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. That envelope was one of only a handful that actually made the trip to the moon and back; it is marked as such. It's estimated to sell for upward of $30,000.

It may not be possible for an individual to own a rock from the moon, but one of the specially created metal containers used to bring back moon rock samples is on the block to be sold. The half-foot tall object carried on Apollo 11 comes with a photo of it on the moon with rocks inside. The price tag is estimated between $30,000 and $40,000.

For armchair astronauts with more modest budgets, items such as tiny pieces of the Apollo 11 heat shield are priced below $1,000, and a portion of foil used on the lunar surface for experiments are expected to go for around $5,000. Many other items are estimated to sell for as little as $100 to $200.

Stamp collectors may be interested in a signed pencil sketch of the "First Man On The Moon" stamp issued in 1969 by artist Paul Calle. As those who used the final produced stamp in 1969 will recall, it depicts an astronaut descending from the lunar lander onto the moon's surface. Because the inscription reads, "First Man On The Moon," many understandably believe the man to be Neil Armstrong. Wrong. Because the picture had to be taken by someone, in actuality the pictured person is actually Buzz Aldrin, who was photographed by Armstrong.

For those who recall the days of fascination or dreams of space travel, the upcoming auction offers a rare chance to relive and even own a piece of history. A color catalog is available, but all lots can also be viewed online at www.RegencySuperior.com. For more information, call the toll-free number: 1-800-782-0066.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the envelope signed by all three astronauts that traveled to the moon on Apollo 11 has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.