Buzz Aldrin starring in Heritage Auctions’ space sale Nov. 12
Signed plaster casting of a boot worn by Buzz Aldrin. Heritage Auctions image
“This is one of the most evocative pieces of space memorabilia we’ve seen,” said Michael Riley, senior historian at Heritage Auctions. “Seeing this, it’s not hard to picture exactly what Buzz Aldrin himself saw after he took his first historic step on the lunar surface following Neil Armstrong.”
The cast is one of just three taken by artist Josephine Mead on Nov. 7, 1969. Meade made the castings when Aldrin brought his moon boot to the dedication of a new addition to the Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
“One is in the Smithsonian, one is at that Medical Center and the one from the artist’s personal collection is being offered here,” added Riley. “The artist painted in shades of brown and green to give it the look of a bronze. To say this is a rare piece is a broad understatement.”
The overall dimensions of the moon boot footprint measures 14 3/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches and it has a 14-inch-long “Buzz Aldrin” signature above, as placed by him in the original plaster.
The auction is particularly strong in items related to the 1969 Apollo missions 9 through 12, including the impressive offerings in the Fay Ann Aldrin Potter Estate Collection.
“Fay Ann was the older sister of Buzz Aldrin who, as a young girl, inadvertently gave him his legendary and world famous nickname, actually now his legal name,” said Riley. “She initially couldn’t say the word ‘brother,’ instead calling him ‘buzzer.’ It stuck and now follows him into history.”
Aldrin was generous with Fay Ann through the years, gifting her with amazing souvenirs of his career, a number of which are offered here, including an Apollo 11 flown American flag and a signed Beta cloth mission insignia that also flew to the moon on Apollo 11. Also included are a set of flown Robbins medals from Aldrin’s time at NASA, a five-lot selection of Space Food and a copy of Aldrin’s book Encounters with Tiber, which he signed uniquely for her: “To Fay Ann/My Name Giver/Enjoy A Space Encounter/Love/Buzzer/7-7-96.”
Both Space and Sports collectors will be impressed with a unique baseball signed by 29 early astronauts, bearing the autographs of all but one member (Theodore Freeman) of the first three groups of astronauts chosen by NASA, encompassing all the astronauts who flew in the Mercury and Gemini programs as well as eight of the 12 men who walked on the moon and 14 of the 24 who flew to the moon.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Signed plaster casting of a boot worn by Buzz Aldrin. Heritage Auctions image
