Circa 1963 Neil Armstrong Signed Photo with Original-Owner Provenance

Sold For:

$840

Year:

1963

Auction:

2016 Spring

Lot #:

1739

Category:

Historical/Political/Pop Culture/Americana

Official NASA publicity photo signed by Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong has inscribed the photo, which pictures him wearing his space suit, "To Todd Hayes/Good Luck/Neil Armstrong." Both the inscription and signature have been rendered in blue marker and grade "9." This photo comes with the impeccable provenance of having been consigned by the original recipient: Todd Hayes. During the early-to-mid 1960s Hayes (as a young boy) regularly wrote to all of the NASA astronauts and was continually rewarded with a signed photo from each of them (51 additional signed astronaut photos from Hayes' collection appear as a separate lot in this auction.) Of all the celebrated astronauts in American history, Armstrong remains the most famous. He was also a very reluctant signer during his lifetime, shunning numerous signing shows over the years. As a result, his signature is the rarest of the three Apollo 11 astronauts, not to mention the most desirable. The fact that this is a vintage Armstrong signature, and has been consigned directly from the original recipient, makes it an especially appealing example. The photo (8 x 10 inches) displays a tiny crease along the left border and is otherwise in Excellent to Mint condition. Auction LOA from James Spence/JSA.






Reserve $300. Estimate $1,000+.