DALLAS — An American flag that flew on two of the most significant space missions of all time soared to $300,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ Space Exploration Signature sale to $2,254,958 on December 15 and 16. The out-of-this-world result for the Apollo 11 and Gemini 10-flown largest size American flag, signed and certified by Michael Collins, directly from his personal collection, was six times its estimate. The result is believed to be a record for any Apollo 11 flag, surpassing the $275,000 paid at Heritage for the Apollo 11-flown largest size American flag directly from the Armstrong family collection in 2018.

“This is an incredibly important flag because it flew with Collins on both Apollo 11 and on Gemini 10,” says Brad Palmer, space exploration director at Heritage Auctions. “Gemini 10 was a historic mission that set a world altitude record in 1966, and of course Apollo 11, in 1969, was the mission that resulted in the first lunar landing. The fact that this flag was on both missions makes it a coveted keepsake, and to have it signed by one of the astronauts aboard both missions make it an absolute must-have prize for the most serious of space exploration collectors.”

Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. More on this and other celestial sales in this auction to follow in an upcoming issue.