Elvis Presley Vintage ballpoint signature

Vintage ballpoint signature, “Elvis Presley,” on the reverse of a clipped 3 x 3.5 magazine or catalog page. In very good condition, with intersecting folds, several passing through signature, and some light wrinkling. Accompanied by two original unsigned vintage color satin-finish 5 x 7 photos of Presley being mobbed for his autograph outside, both dated on the reverse 1969. RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=919

Charles Darwin Bold vintage ink signature

Bold vintage ink signature, “Charles Darwin, Down, Kent, May 20th 1877,” on an off-white 4.25 x 2.25 slip. Nicely triple-suede-matted and framed with an image and nameplate to an overall size of 23.5 x 19.5. In fine condition. Darwin moved to Down House in Kent in 1842, where he lived for the rest of his life; this sprawling 33-acre estate was where he began to develop the nuances of his theory of evolution, doing much of his most intense thinking while pacing up and down his favorite stretch of garden, ‘The Sand Walk.’ Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=180

Honus Wagner Official Spalding National League (Frick) baseball signed

Official Spalding National League (Frick) baseball signed and inscribed in black ink on the sweet spot, “To Lil, With Best Wishes, Honus Wagner.” Encapsulated in a plastic PSA/DNA authentication holder. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity and grading from PSA/DNA, evaluating the signature at ‘8’ and the ball at ‘6,’ for an overall grade of ‘7.’ One of the finest signed Wagner baseballs we have encountered. RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=1420

Sokol KM Rescue Suit

Sokol KM rescue suit. This design was a derivative of the Sokol-K suit, with this model having a transverse zipper at the waist to allow for easier on and off capabilities, as well as making it more customizable to individual cosmonaut’s sizes. Designed as a ‘rescue suit,’ it kept the astronaut alive in case of accidental depressurization of the spacecraft. Suit appears to be complete with helmet, boots, gloves, and cables. A manometer is attached to the upper arm, and several patches are sewn to the upper torso. RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=83

NASA Street Sign Signed By 17 astronauts

Colorful metal NASA Space Center sign, 24 x 24, signed on the front in black felt tip by 17 astronauts, almost all of whom flew in the Apollo program. Signers are: Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Gordon Cooper, Richard Gordon, Alan Bean, Charles Conrad, Gene Cernan, Jim McDivitt, Harrison Schmitt, Frank Borman, Walt Cunningham, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, James Lovell, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, and Dave Scott. All but Carpenter have added their respective mission(s). In fine condition, with a bit of scattered light surface wear and two holes for attaching the sign to a pole. A unique assemblage and a visually-striking display. Pre-certified Steve Zarelli and RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=326

Alexi Leonov Original painting Salyut station

Retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and Air Force Major General who, in 1965, became the first human to conduct a space walk. Original painting by Leonov, 8 x 9, oil on cold press illustration board, entitled ‘Salyut 1,’ depicting the space station in orbit preparing to dock with a Soyuz space craft, signed in white paint in the lower right corner. Double-suede-matted and framed with a small plaque to an overall size of 18.5 x 22. In very fine condition. Leonov and Valery Kubasov were assigned to Salyut 1, but Kubasov fell ill, and the backup crew sent to Salyut died when an air valve failed in their spacecraft as they were returning to Earth. Leonov is an accomplished, award-winning space artist. A truly one-of-a-kind piece that illustrates the very beginning of long-duration space flight. Pre-certified Steve Zarelli and RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=107

Apollo 12 Flown emergency wrench Tool B

Flown emergency wrench (‘Tool B’) carried to the lunar surface on board the Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid. L-shaped wrench measures 7″ long, with a circular ring on the bottom of the handle, with a 5″ arm extending from the handle to which different heads could be attached. Inside of the handle bears NASA parts and serial number. Wrench comes on a wooden 10.5 x 9 presentation plaque, with a small engraved plaque which reads, “Presented to / Maj. Alfred Worden, USAF / By the Crew of Apollo XII / A key to your own CSM, checked out aboard Intrepid, November 1969, on its voyage to the Ocean of Storms, Moon.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Worden, which reads, in part, “I hereby certify the emergency wrench…was flown to the moon onboard the Apollo 12 lunar module ‘Intrepid’ as part of its emergency tool kit. I served as the back CMP on that flight, and as such I helped insert the crew into the spacecraft before lunch. This key was a gift from the Apollo 12 crew to thank me and to commemorate their flight.” RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=538

Apollo 12 PLSS Dust Plug Cover

Flown Portable Life Support System (PLSS) dust plug carried to the lunar surface on board the Apollo 12 lunar module Intrepid. Metal cover measures 1.5″ in diameter, with a government inspection stamp on the rim as well as two serial numbers, “708365,” and “SV723763.” There are also remnants of another number along the rim. This cap protected a connector interface on the back of the PLSS. This cover would have been removed by astronauts Conrad or Bean prior to their EVA as the crew suited up for their moon walks. Accompanied by a handwritten letter of authenticity from Charles Conrad which reads, “This dust plug seal belonged to LM-6/Intrepid. Therefore, this dust plug seal flew from Earth and landed on the Ocean of Storms, Moon during the period of November 14–24, 1969. Charles Conrad, Jr., CDR, Apollo XII.”

This plug played a critical function on the PLSS during the mission. The PLSS, a component of the A7L space suit, provided breathing gasses, cooling, power, and communications to the astronauts while they were conducting their extra vehicular activities on the lunar surface. The plug protected a connector interface when not in use. The connector was designed for an umbilical which ran between the PLSS itself and a remote control unit which was mounted on the astronaut's chest. The cap was removed prior to EVA as the crew suited up, and would have been left in the lunar module during the moonwalks, making this plug one of the only pieces of a flown PLSS to return to Earth as the bulky 80 plus pound backpack were jettisoned to the lunar surface by the astronauts prior to lift off from the lunar surface. RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/preview_itemdetail.cfm?IN=537

Jim Irwin Communication Carrier Electronic Module Apollo 15

Jim Irwin’s Communication Carrier Electronic Module (CCEM), part no. 16495G-02, serial number 257, manufactured by the David Clark Company, and worn by Jim Irwin during the Apollo 15 mission, including on the lunar surface. This module is the hardware component of the Communications Carrier Assembly, more commonly known as the ‘Snoopy Cap.’ It consists of earphones and microphones for both the right side and the left side. The two sides are joined with a 10.5? wiring harness. In addition the right side has a wiring harness with a connector at the end for connecting to the spacecraft umbilical cable. The electronics for the earphones and microphones are contained within blue molded rubber enclosures, with molded recesses for the earphones. These rubber enclosures would be held in place over the astronaut's ears while wearing the ‘Snoopy Cap’. The wire harnesses are covered with Teflon fabric, which is the same fabric used for the ‘Snoopy Cap.’ In fine condition, with the right earphone having been cut for a repair and then resealed. The module comes with its plastic storage bag, with a JSC Projects Parts tag stapled to the outside, dated March 6, 1996. Four other labels are affixed to the bag including a NASA Cleaned For Service tag dated March 9, 1995 (to prepare the module for long-term storage), and a Boeing FEPC Form 1106.

This particular lunar-worn item has taken a unique and interesting path from the lunar surface until now. First worn by Irwin during the Apollo 15 mission, including on the lunar surface during his three moonwalks. Shortly after his return to earth, his entire Communications Carrier Assembly (CCA) was inventoried and placed into NASA bonded storage. After receiving an internal request, NASA reissued this CCA in support of the Skylab to be used during astronaut training. At this point, an Apollo Spacecraft Hardware Utilization Request (ASHUR), dated August 12, 1971, was issued authorizing transfer and downgrading the unit from a Class I flight article to Class II. The form shows Irwin's headset overall part and serial number, “16536G-04 S/N 257”; while each individual part carried its own serial number as well. The document states, “These units are to be assigned as flight crew training units as required for remaining Apollo missions and Skylab missions…Upon completion of crew system training requirements, these communication carriers will be returned to MSC bonded storage for disposition as artifacts.” A number of years later, NASA decided the assembly was no longer needed and released it to GSA auctions for disposal as an artifact. Accompanying the module are copies of the ASHUR tag (the original being housed in the National Archives), as well as a copy of the 2010 receipt for the lot sold by GSA. Arguably one of the most important pieces of equipment necessary for space travel and EVAs, this particular piece is believed to be the first such complete module to become available for sale, and is sure to be a centerpiece of any space collection. RR Auction COA.

 http://www.rrauction.com/preview_itemdetail.cfm?IN=636

Samuel L. Clemens Handwritten Letter Signed

ALS, in pencil, signed “S. L. Clemens,” one page, 3.5 x 5.25, no date. Brief letter to Mr. Hutchins. In full: “This is to introduce my friends Paige and Davis who desire to see the type-setter at work as per my conversation with you.” On the adjacent page Clemens adds, “Office of the Post.” Nicely double-suede-matted and framed with a portrait of Clemens and a biographical plaque to an overall size of 18 x 30. In fine condition, with a thin strip of tape along hinge and some surface loss and rubbing along top edge.

Having spent a good deal of his teenage years setting type by hand as an apprentice printer, Clemens wholeheartedly believed that the Paige Compositor—a printing press that would use a mechanical arm to set the type—would be one of the greatest (and most lucrative) inventions of all time. It was thus that he assumed the major financial responsibility of the project in exchange for a percentage of anticipated profits. At the mercy of inventor James Paige and mechanical expert Charles Davis, introduced in this letter, Clemens’s investment slowly soured; as the project’s development moved at a snail’s pace, the new Linotype hit the market with great success, making Paige’s machine obsolete before it was even completed. Clemens lost not only the bulk of his book profits but also a substantial portion of his wife's inheritance, and in 1894, was forced to file for bankruptcy. An interesting document regarding the men and the invention that led to the financial unraveling of the entrepreneurial author. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.

 http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=829

HMS Bounty Bronze Nail

Royal Navy vessel under the command of William Bligh sent to Tahiti in 1787 to acquire breadfruit plants; the ship’s master, Fletcher Christian, led a mutiny and seized command on April 28, 1789, after the mutineers attempted to build a colony on the island of Tubuai. Curved bronze sheathing nail recovered from the HMS Bounty, approximately 1″ long, attached to a burnt sienna cloth backing and framed to an overall size of 3.5 x 4. In fine condition. Luis Marden—writer, photographer, diver and explorer for the National Geographic Society—discovered the remains of HMS Bounty at the bottom of Bounty Bay at Pitcairn Island. This nail, recovered by Marden, is from those remains. Accompanied by a copy of the original transmittal letter from Marden, dated Ausut 2, 1971, in part: “This was recovered by me in 1957 from the bottom of Bounty Bay at Pitcairn Island, in some thirty feet of water...This nail is from the remains of the Bounty and was used to fasten the copper sheathing to the hull below the waterline.” The HMS Bounty vessel itself was built in 1784, purchased and refit by the Royal Navy in 1787, and burned and sunken on January 23, 1790—making this nail approximately 225 years old, recovered after spending 167 years at the bottom of the sea. RR Auction COA.

 http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=404

John F. Kennedy 1961 Signed Document

Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 19.75 x 16, October 27, 1961. President Kennedy appoints “Raymond G. Dwigans, of Texas…Collector of Customs for Customs Collection District No. 24.” Signed at the conclusion by Kennedy and countersigned by Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillon. In fine condition, with some slight skipping to last letter of signature, a bit of light soiling, and a couple of small vertical creases extending upwards from bottom edge. The gold foil seal is crisp and intact. Rolled. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=66

Michael Collins Original watercolor painting titled The Inspection

Original watercolor painting titled ‘The Inspection,’ 15 x 11, showing a NASA jet high above the Kennedy Space Center, with the Space Shuttle on the launch pad in the distance, signed in black ink, “Michael Collins V ’05.” Double–cloth-matted and framed with Apollo 11 and NASA patches to an overall size of 23 x 23. In very fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Novaspace. Pre-certified Steve Zarelli and RR Auction COA.

http://www.rrauction.com/bidtracker_detail.cfm?IN=745