Flown sterling silver Apollo 13 Robbins medallion attested as deriving from the collection of Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin. The medallion, approximately 1.25″ in diameter, features 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 "277" and stamped above with the Robbins "Sterling" hallmark. Encapsulated and graded by NGC as "MS 65," with the label noting the provenance, "Ex. Buzz Aldrin." Accompanied by the original case and a letter of provenance from aerospace memorabilia specialist Ken Havekotte, certifying that the medal "originated from the collection of Buzz Aldrin and was first sold in 1990 by Superior Galleries."
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.
*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.
