Gold Magazine April - May 2013, Issue 25 | Page 81

ence in price thus: “There are few space
artefacts as evocative or important as this
little booklet. Without these successful
calculations and the fast transfer of the
information from one computer to the
other, the Apollo 13 crew would not have
known their position in space, possibly
causing the outcome of the already illfated mission to be quite different.”
The power of this rarity – singular
items with even more singular stories –
within the world of space memorabilia is
not to be underestimated. And, furthermore, whilst all flown items and those
attached to pioneers in this faction of
research and development are attentionworthy, it is the one-and-only, irreplaceable ‘firsts’ that are the true captains of
this investment-ship (such as Armstrong’s
signature).
Perhaps the greatest example of
a stellar ‘first’ is the sale of the
Vostok 3KA-2 capsule, the
world’s first spaceship.
Sent into orbit three
weeks before Yuri Gagarin became the
first man ever to reach space, the capsule
was accompanied by a human dummy
and Zvezdochka, the dog,and completed
a single orbit of the Earth in 1961. The
iconic capsule was purchased at Sotheby’s
New York in April of 2011 by Russian
businessman, Evgeny Yurchenko, for a
breathtaking €2.2 million.
Alongside already established historyadmiring – and no doubt patriotic –
American investors, Russian counterparts
are likewise carving their signature into
the space scene, making significant purchases. Thanks to the participation of
wealthy Russian buyers, 2011 also saw a
flown spacesuit worn by Alexei Leonov
garner a healthy €189,440.
Looking ahead, experts are poised
from a vantage point eagerly anticipating certain catalysts that are imagined to
engender energy yet to have been felt in
the market.
Experts are confident that the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing
in 2019 will blast figures off stratospherically. Similarly, with the existence of
only 12 men in history to have walked
on the Moon’s surface, and Moon mission’s having been suspended indefinitely

subsequent to 1972, experts
are conscious of the effect that
will unravel as these significant
men whose feats have yet to be matched,
pass away. The youngest surviving moonwalker, Charles Duke, is 77 years of age.
It is thought that competition – in the
form of items newly-imbued with space
significance – will only come about following a member of mankind successful
reaching and breaching Mars, the best

The so-called baby
boomer generation is
now in control of 80%
of the nation’s wealth
estimate of which is 2035.
On a practical level, highly positive
for those who are space-curious is the superb provenance attached to space memorabilia, as well as the liquidity. Regarding
the former, numerous leading items are
made available directly from astronauts’
personal collections. The authenticity of
pieces exempt from these compilations
may just as easily be verified, in light of
the meticulous nature with which every
detail of a space mission is recorded, via
data logging and interviews; technical
equipment and flight suits are, likewise,
always accompanied by documentation.
Howard Weinberger, space memorabilia expert and author, explains the
significance of this provenance: “Every
spacecraft part has a serial number – even
the bolts. An artefact’s greatest value to
the potential buyer is detailed and credible documentation.”
Experts, therefore, recommend that,
supported by the plethora of information
available to confirm authenticity, prospective buyers should be vigilant in verifying
the item under their consideration with
third-party sources.
And, indeed, the ability to move space
memorabilia around the market is conveniently flexible. From specialist dealers, to dedicated auctions (both live and
online), and private sales, tracking down
an item of interest should not be met by
deterring hurdles; particularly notable

is the hosting
by major auction houses
Christie’s and Bonhams of concentrated
space memorabilia sales a couple of times
a year.
Unlike the moon that waxes and wanes
in its monthly cycle, the space memorabilia market is displaying signs that
people’s wonder worldwide over all things
extra-terrestrial is not subject to the same
inconstancies. It would seem that the dark
side of the moon lies only in the challenge
to acquire limited items which fellow collectors are also vying for. Let the space
race begin: commencing countdown.

BOOK
REVIEW
Bruce
By Peter Ames Carlin (Simon & Schuster UK, 2012)

F

RRP: £20.00 (£11.00 from amazon.com.uk)

ans of Bruce Springsteen know
that there has not been an objective
biography available until a few
months ago when, by some strange
publishing coincidence, two appeared
almost simultaneously. One (E Street Shuffle:
The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen and
the E Street Band) is by Clinton Heylin, the
acclaimed author of several excellent books
on Bob Dylan, but against the odds, this is
the better of the two. Indeed, it is the best,
most interesting and exciting book ever
been written about Springsteen, perhaps
not surprisingly since the author was given
remarkable access to his management, band
members, friends and family. Springsteen’s
youth, his obsession with music, his struggle
to break through and his subsequent rise to
superstardom are described in a very honest
portrayal of its subject. He comes across as
somewhat moody, often lacking in empathy
and treating his bandmates poorly. Such
details of a hu