If you are lucky enough to own sought-after items and don’t plan to keep them for yourself, you can send them up to the auction block, where interested collectors can outbid each other.
What do space enthusiasts collect?
Space enthusiasts collect a wide range of items, including:
- Parts and computers from past spaceships and missions.
- Space suits.
- NASA patches and tags.
- Signed checklists.
- NASA archives.
- Space art and photography.
- Space foods.
- Program pins and medals.
- Moon rocks, moon dust, and meteor pieces.
The focus of most collectors is the Space Race era, from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s.
Space memorabilia in other collections
Space-related items also overlap with other collectibles, including:
- Many stamp collectors focus on space-themed stamps.
- As mentioned, space-themed art and photography have strong followings, and some art collectors focus exclusively on space-themed pieces.
- Toy collectors might focus on vintage space themed toys, such as the Jetsons, Snoopy astronaut dolls, and other fun items.
- Original series Star Trek phasers, original trilogy Star Wars props, and other items associated with other pillars of sci-fi are also very popular as a subcategory of the broader movie poster and memorabilia
How much is space memorabilia worth?
Items from the space race itself are particularly valuable. Some pieces have sold for incredible sums:
- David Scott Bulova’s wristwatch from the Apollo 15 mission sold for $1.625 million.
- A signed copy of the Apollo 13 Flight plan was auctions for $275,000.
- A Sputnik lab model went for $847,500.
- “Saturn as Seen from Titan,” a painting by Chesley Bonestell, fetched $13,750.
Not all space memorabilia will fetch those large sums, but it is worth evaluating any items you might have in your collection.
What makes some space memorabilia valuable?
Most space collectibles are inherently rare and one-of-a-kind. Notable exceptions are items like NASA patches, which can be easier to fin. Nevertheless, some patches remain very popular with collectors. Original patches worn by mission participants, rather than replica patches, are the collectables of choice for most serious enthusiasts.
NASA also has a program for non-profit museums, universities, and schools to obtain surplus artifacts for public display and educational purposes, which means there are fewer collectables available for private interests.
Memorabilia from famous missions or signed by famous astronauts often will perform well at auction. Authentication matters, of course: There are many counterfeit signed objects out there.
Condition matters, too. Collectors will always pay more for items that are in excellent condition.
Schedule an appraisal of your space collectibles today
If your space memorabilia is truly valuable, attempting to sell it yourself is the last thing you should do. You’ll need expert help to determine a feasible starting price, and you’ll need to get your memorabilia in front of collectors with the means, knowledge, and interest to buy your pieces for all they are worth.
Contact Central Mass Auctions today to get your space memorabilia appraised and ready for liftoff. You can call us at 508-612-6111, or email us.
