Description: This listing is for an 5x4" photograph from the personal collection of Neil Armstrong. This photo was given to him during his naval aviation career, shortly after his return from the Korean War. This photograph was later stained by smoke and soot from the fire that destroyed his home in 1964, making it a very personal piece of his history. Armstrong completed his last missions in the Korean War in the Spring of 1952. He was released from active duty on August 25th of the same year. Shortly before that, the Navy provided him with this (at the time) classified photo of the new XFJ-2 aircraft - a prototype of the North American FJ-2/-3 Fury fighter jet. As Armstrong was pursuing a career as a test pilot, this was likely given to him for educational purposes. Over a decade later, Neil had become an astronaut, training for the Gemini program. Late one night, faulty wiring sparked a fire that spread throughout the house. Neil was able to get his young children out of the burning home, with help from his good friend and neighbor Ed White. Less than three years later, Ed himself would die in a fire caused by faulty wiring, as part of the Apollo 1 disaster. In the years leading up to the moon landing, Neil suffered a long string of personal losses and tragedies, including both of those fires. The remnants of the house fire on this photograph give it a very personal connection to his history. This item was obtained directly from Neil's sons. When Neil died in 2012, most of his collection was given to Janet, his first wife. And then when Janet died in 2018, the collection was passed down to their sons, who decided to auction it off the following year. To maintain authenticity, they had each item encapsulated in a tamper-proof case and authenticated by CAG. The only way to open the case is to break it, so you can be certain that the item inside is genuine. In addition, the winner will receive the original Certificate of Authenticity with a matching serial number, which has been hand-signed by Neil's sons. The case arrived with some minor scratches from being handled in the auction house, but it's still in new condition otherwise. The winner will receive the exact item in the photos, so please refer to those for a closer look. Thank you for viewing this listing!
Price: 1299 USD
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
End Time: 2024-02-03T02:06:56.000Z
Shipping Cost: 8 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Exploration Missions: Apollo
Type: Photograph
Year: 1969
Theme: Astronauts & Space Travel
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
