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Lot #6425
Alan Bean’s Apollo 12 Lunar Surface-Flown Flag

Sizable surface-flown American flag from Bean’s collection

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Estimate: $4000+
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Description

Sizable surface-flown American flag from Bean’s collection

Supremely desirable flown medium-sized American flag carried to the moon on the Apollo 12 mission, 11.25 x 7.75, signed and flight-certified in black felt tip, “Flown to the Lunar Surface in the LM. Apollo 12, Nov. 1969, Alan L. Bean.” In fine condition. From the personal collection of Alan Bean. Accompanied by a lengthy handwritten and flight-certified letter of provenance from Bean, in part: “I hereby certify that this American flag...was landed on the Ocean of Storms with Pete Conrad and me inside our lunar module ‘Intrepid.’ It remained within ‘Intrepid’ while Pete and I performed two moonwalks. We then launched to rejoin Dick Gordon orbiting some 60 miles above the moon in our command module, ‘Yankee Clipper’ for our return to Earth. This flag has been in my personal collection since I returned to planet Earth in November of 1969.” As the Lunar Module had an extremely limited storage capacity and strict weight limits, items of this size carried to the lunar surface are very scarce; this magnificent example is about four times the size of the surface-flown flags typically seen. Between its substantial size and bold, clear inscriptions by Bean, this is an American flag of the utmost desirability.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Space And Aviation Auction
  • Dates: #474 - Ended April 21, 2016