Incredible Marx Pressed Steel MX-119 toy airplane belonging to Apollo 11 moonwalker Neil Armstrong when he was a child living in Wapakoneta, Ohio. The plane, with red fuselage, silver wings, blue rudder, and green landing gear with wooden wheels, measures 9.5″ from wing to wing and 7″ from nose to fin, with faded black stenciling to left wing, “M.X. 119.” Also included is a glossy 7 x 5 photo of the Armstrong family home at 601 West Benton Street in Wapakoneta, Ohio, signed in black felt tip, “Neil Armstrong, 601 W. Benton.” In overall very good condition, with expected aging and obvious signs of use to toy plane, and two creases to the photo, one to the lower right corner and a more prominent vertical crease passing through the leftmost tree. Both the toy plane and signed photo are accompanied by individual letters of provenance from Jacqueline (Miller) Knapke, whose parents purchased the Armstrong house. The letter for the plane reads: “In July 1964 my parents purchased the home on 601 W. Benton St., Wapakoneta, Ohio from Steve & Viola Armstrong. After moving in we found these items in the attic of the home. We also found a red wagon that belonged to Neil Armstrong but we donated it to the museum in Wapakoneta. Mrs. V. Armstrong verified at that time that the wagon and this airplane was Neil's and that he and his brother played with it.”
The letter for the signed photo reads as follows: “The Akron Beacon Journal gave us a 5 x 7 photo of the Armstrong house they had taken. I knew Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong personally. After the Welcoming Home parade I took this 5 x 7 photo to their home on Neil Armstrong Dr. to have Neil autograph it. There were TV trucks and security people everywhere along with yellow tape marking off their house. I walked up to a gentleman at the end of the sidewalk and showed him this photo of the house on 601 W. Benton St. and asked him if I could have Neil autograph it for me as he used to live in that home. He took the photo and pretty soon Mrs. Armstrong came to the door and said, ‘Jackie, come on in honey.’ I walked in the front door, on into the kitchen where Neil was standing and he started talking with me about the house. He then autographed it.” Also accompanied by a copy of the warranty deed regarding the 1964 purchase of the home from the Armstrongs by the Millers. Armstrong and his immediate family lived in different parts of Ohio until 1944, when they returned to Wapakoneta and moved into a three-bedroom house at 601 West Benton Street. Armstrong lived on Benton Street until 1947, when he started college at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
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