14 DAY TRIAL // Edwin Eugene Aldrin, or mostly known as Buzz Aldrin, is a former American astronaut famous for being the second man to put his feet on the surface of the Moon, after Mission Commander Neil Armstrong. He was the pilot of the Lunar Module on mission Apollo 11, the first ever manned spacecraft to the Moon. Previous to the Apollo 11 mission, Aldrin also participated in the Gemini 12 mission as pilot of the spacecraft.
Heritage Auction Galleries reports that the space suit patches of Buzz Aldrin during Gemini 12 mission are now put up for a public auction, which will take place today. The space suit patches are expected to be sold for an amount of money of up to 75,000 US dollars. These are amongst the most expensive items for sale and were allegedly given to his parents in 1966. The inscription on the patches reads "with a grateful son's love".
Also, amongst the items which will be auctioned today there will be the scoop used during mission Apollo 14 by Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, with which lunar dust was collected. The scoop could reach a selling price of up to 300,000 US dollars. The American flag used in the Apollo 14 mission, a pair of pliers from Apollo 16 and a lunar chart used during Apollo 17 will also be available for sale.
Americana auctions for Heritage director Tom Slater says that: "When one considers just how few actual objects have been off-planet, it's amazing to think that any of us would have the opportunity to actually own one of these incredibly rare pieces."
According to Slater, all the items are catalogued as 'impeccable provenance', coming directly from former astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Charles Duke and Richard Gordon. If you're wondering why this 'small' detail is being mentioned, then you should probably know that in a previous auction the Heritage Auction Galleries had sold fake items, including a whiskey flask which was allegedly owned by Errol Flynn and a Humphrey Bogart engraved cigarette holder. The auction house had to return all the money to the buyers and sued the company which provided them.