Alan Bean's rare and historic flown sterling silver Apollo 17 Robbins medallion, approximately 1.25″ in diameter, featuring a raised design of the mission insignia on the face—an image of Apollo, the Greek sun god, with a stylized eagle, the moon, Saturn, and a galaxy in the background. The reverse is encircled with raised text, “America-Challenger, Apollo XVII, The Beginning,” and is engraved with the launch date of December 6, 1972, the moon landing date of December 11, 1972, and the reentry date of December 19, 1972. The medal is serial numbered “F24” on the edge, and stamped with the Robbins "Sterling" hallmark. Encapsulated and graded by NGC as "MS 67," with the label noting the provenance, "Ex. Alan Bean." This is one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-obtain of all the Apollo flown medals, as only eighty were flown on man's final voyage to the moon—the fewest number of Robbins medallions carried on any Apollo mission.
Accompanied by the original case and a handwritten letter of provenance signed by Alan Bean, in part: "I hereby certify that the Apollo 17 Silver Robbins Medal, serial number F24, traveled with Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans, and Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt aboard their Command Module 'America' during their mission to the moon in December 1972."
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.