Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut known for being the first man to walk on the moon. He was also a test pilot, an aeronautical engineer, a navy aviator, and a university professor. He lived a very fulfilling life as an iconic figure in history. But did you know his sons auctioned most of his things?
After Neil Armstrong’s death, his sons auctioned off hundreds of things they inherited from their parents, raising $14.69 million. Neil Armstrong even had cloth from the Wright Flyer and a $2.04 million gold medal from Apollo 11.
Who was Neil Armstrong?
Neil Alden Armstrong was the eldest of three children born to Viola Louise Engel and Stephen Koenig Armstrong, a state auditor, on August 5, 1930, and passed away on August 25, 2012.
On July 16, 1969, Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins launched the Apollo 11 spacecraft toward the Moon. Four days later, Armstrong manually piloted the Eagle lunar landing module to a plain at the southwestern border of the Sea of Tranquility.
Armstrong walked off the Eagle and onto the Moon’s dusty surface on July 20, 1969. He was the first person to walk on the moon. (Source: Britannica)
The Apollo 11 Mission
On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin Aldrin, Jr. became the first people to land on the Moon and walk on its surface. The Apollo program and the United States’ massive national commitment to beating the Soviet Union to the Moon culminated in Apollo 11.
From its launch on July 16, 1969, to its return splashdown on July 24, almost every significant aspect of Apollo 11’s flight was broadcast live on television to hundreds of millions worldwide. (Source: Britannica)
What Happened During the Auction?
Pieces of Ohio that the late Neil Armstrong took to the moon aboard Apollo 11 fetched some of the highest prices in the astronaut’s memorabilia’s fourth auction, which had just concluded.
The top-selling item of the 709 lots, at $96,875, was a 1.25-inch square of fabric from the Wright Flyer’s left-wing that landed on the moon. A 4 by 6inch Ohio burgee sold for $16,250 as part of a set of all state flags that also went to the moon.
The fourth Space Exploration Auction Featuring the Armstrong Family Collection concluded on Saturday with a total of $2,566,538, according to the auction house.
Armstrong’s sons, Rick of Mason and Mark of West Chester, have been selling hundreds of items inherited from their parents at Heritage Auctions since October 2018. The previous three auctions raised a total of $12.14 million. The total now stands at $14.69 million following the conclusion of the fourth auction.
The auctions have taken place in conjunction with the yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.
Heritage Auctions began accepting online bids for the fourth auction on October 25, and sales concluded on November 14-16. Most of the items sold belonged to the Armstrong brothers, but others belonged to Apollo 11 astronauts Edwin Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. (Source: Cincinnati Enquirer)