The 9th annual Astronaut Scholarship Foundation auction takes place later this month, and as usual it offers space collectors of every level a great chance to pick up some special items.
The foundation, which began life in 1984 as the Mercury Seven Foundation, offers science and engineering scholarships for college students and is funded by donations and the generosity of the astronauts themselves.
This year's sale offers a wide range of notable lots, all of which are sure to be sought after due to the increasing demand for space memorabilia.
Amongst the flown items included in the sale are some superb examples, such as an Apollo 16 schematic page taken to the lunar surface and a spoon used on Skylab-4. They are joined by a wealth of autographed material, ranging from a signed Apollo 10 crew portrait to a lunar landmark photograph signed by 13 astronauts representing all 11 of the manned Apollo missions.
 The sale includes lots such as this signed Apollo 10 crew photo |
As we've reported here at Paul Fraser Collectibles, the autographs of Apollo astronauts are amongst the most sought-after signatures on the market and this sale includes some top-quality examples. For readers interested in the area, you can view our own stock of rare Apollo astronaut autographs here.
In addition to the items on offer, the sale also gives space enthusiasts the chance to bid on some truly unique lots - experiences with the astronauts themselves. In recent years these have ranged from scuba diving with Buzz Aldrin to a tour of Alan Bean's art studio, and this year's experiences include dinner with John Glenn and the chance for Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise to visit your child's school class.
The lots are currently available to view online, and the bidding runs from October 28 to November 5. As always, we'll keep you up to date with the most notable results from the sale.
