Duane Beckett
Artemis II blasted off on April 1, 2026, sending a crew around the Moon for NASA’s first human lunar mission in more than 50 years. In the glow of that launch, it felt like the right time to look back at the pieces from earlier space missions that later sold for eye-popping money at auction.
7. Flown Lunar Bible set, $132,763
RR Auction sold this one-of-a-kind set, including the only complete group of microfilm Bibles flown on Apollo 12, Apollo 13, and Apollo 14. The lot closed on November 21, 2013, and the big selling point here is that one of the Bibles in the set actually reached the lunar surface during Apollo 14.
6. Apollo 11 lunar-surface navigational chart, $218,000
Bonhams New York sold this Apollo 11 chart for $218,000 in July 2009, far above its estimate. The item was used by Armstrong and Aldrin on the lunar surface to update the Eagle’s navigational equipment before liftoff, and Paul Fraser Collectibles found that the chart still carried traces of moon dust, which is the kind of detail collectors never forget.
5. Jim Lovell’s Apollo 13 notebook, $388,375
Jim Lovell’s Apollo 13 flight notebook sold in Dallas on November 30, 2011 for $388,375, according to Reuters. It came from Lovell’s own collection, and the notebook mattered because it held the calculations used during the crisis that helped guide the crew home after the mission went badly wrong.
4. Apollo Guidance Computer, $746,000
New Atlas reported that an Apollo Guidance Computer sold for $746,000 at Sotheby’s on July 20, 2021. Sotheby’s identifies the machine as an example used in Lunar Test Article 8, part of the same groundbreaking computer system developed to navigate Apollo spacecraft to the Moon and back, which gives it real historical weight even if it was not the exact Apollo 11 flight unit.
3. Apollo 16 lunar surface-used moon rock scoop, $874,998
From Charlie Duke’s personal collection, this lunar soil scoop closed at RR Auction for $874,998 on October 19, 2023. Information from RR Auction shows the tool was used extensively during Apollo 16 surface work, including the collection of “Big Muley,” the largest moon rock brought back during the entire Apollo program.
2. Dave Scott’s Apollo 15 moon-worn Bulova chronograph, $1.625 million
RR Auction listed Dave Scott’s moon-worn Bulova chronograph as ending on October 22, 2015, and collectSPACE reported that the watch sold for a record-setting $1.6 million after Scott wore it during his third Apollo 15 moonwalk, when his NASA-issued Omega was no longer usable.
1. Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 inflight coverall jacket, $2.8 million
At the top sits Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 inflight coverall jacket, which Sotheby’s sold in New York on July 26, 2022 for $2,772,500. Reuters reported that Aldrin wore the jacket on his mission to the Moon and back, while Sotheby’s said it was part of the headline-making Buzz Aldrin: American Icon sale, the kind of artifact that crosses over from collector prize to national treasure.