John Young's flown sterling silver STS-9 Robbins medal, approximately 1.5 x 1.5, with a raised design on the face featuring the mission insignia. The reverse is encircled by the names of the astronauts and is engraved with the launch date of November 28, 1983, and landing date of December 8, 1983, at “RW 17 Edwards AFB, CA.” The medal is serial numbered "1F" on the rim, and is encapsulated in a plastic NGC holder with a grade of MS65. The holder notes that the medal originates from the collection of John W. Young, and bears the unique title: “STS-9 Robbins Medal, 1983 Flown #1F, Commander’s Medal.” Condition is mint state. Accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from STS-9 Commander John Young, dated November 20, 2013, in full: "I hereby certify that STS 9 silver Robbins Medal, serial number 1 F, was flown with me aboard Columbia November 28-December 8, 1983. It has been a part of my personal collection since the mission."
Though not as widely known as contemporaries like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, John Young is unquestionably one of America’s most accomplished astronauts: he flew the first manned Gemini mission in 1965, then commanded Gemini 10 the next year; he became the first man to complete a solo orbit of the moon on Apollo 10; he drove the lunar rover and walked on the moon as commander of Apollo 16; and he commanded two Space Shuttle missions, including the very first: STS-1. Roughly two-and-a-half years later, Captain Young became the first person to fly six space missions when he took part in his final spaceflight as commander of STS-9 on November 28, 1983. Over the course of the ten-day mission, the 53-year-old Young managed the six-member crew, the largest of any manned space mission at the time, while aiding in the highly successful transportation of the first Spacelab laboratory module into orbit. Deriving from the personal collection of one of America’s greatest astronauts, this immensely sought-after medal is the first of only 76 silver examples flown on the STS-9 mission—a truly remarkable space rarity.
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