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Next Bid: $550
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Edgar Mitchell's flown sterling silver Apollo 13 Robbins medallion, approximately 1.25″ in diameter, featuring a raised design of the Apollo 13 mission insignia on the face—three horses driving Apollo's chariot across the surface of the moon. The reverse boasts the names of the crew as flown, and is engraved with the launch date of April 11, 1970, and the return date of April 17, 1970. The medal is serial numbered "358" and stamped above with the Robbins "Sterling" hallmark. Condition is mint state, with a couple tiny spots of tarnishing.
Owing to the unusual circumstances of the Apollo 13 mission, the affiliated Robbins medallion differs from its counterparts. A total of 400 medals were originally minted with the names of the scheduled prime crew—James Lovell, Ken Mattingly, and Fred Haise—and carried on the harrowing flight. The last-minute crew change, with Jack Swigert replacing Mattingly due to potential illness, dictated a return of the flown medallions to Robbins to be melted down and re-struck with the correct crew. Additionally, since the lunar landing was aborted, only two engraving blanks were placed on the reverse side for the launch and return dates.
Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Karlyn Mitchell, the daughter of Edgar Mitchell.
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