Richard Garriott, game designer, adventurer and the sixth private space explorer, crops up regularly in the world of space collectibles.
Most recently came the news that the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 2 lunar rover, which Garriott owns, has been discovered on the Moon's surface.
Garriott actually bought the rover at auction, in 1993, decades after it had stopped working and "disappeared" on the lunar surface.
The purchase was certainly eccentric, especially as Garriott and many others at that point had never actually seen the rover.
 A great collectible: Garriott's Lunokhod 2 robot lunar explorer |
Now, Garriott's passion for space memorabilia has paid-off, and he is eager to recoup his investment - with the tongue-in-cheek suggestion the parts of the Moon explored by the rover arguably belong to him.
According to Garriott, the rover has travelled around 40km on the lunar surface. To put his claims into perspective, plots of land on the Moon have previously been sold to bidders.
 Space collector and private astronaut Richard Garriott |
Yet Garriott is the only private owner of an object on a celestial body.
Back his 2008, his mission as the sixth private space explorer included a trip to the International Space Station and a spacewalk, making him the first private individual to do so.
Following his adventure, Garriott encouraged watchmakers SEIKO to manufacture and commemorative edition of the special wristwatch that he wore in space: the SEIKO Spring Drive Spacewalk.
Elsewhere, collectors looking to own objects which had previously flown to a celestial body can find a number of rare and one-of-a-kind collectibles here - including autographs by Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin's signed flight suit.
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