Buzz Aldrin’s space toothbrush to be auctioned.
A toothbrush that was part of the oral hygiene kit on the Apollo 11 mission, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon on July 20, 1969, is currently on sale at a U.S. auction house. The toothbrush, which was used by Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, is expected to be sold for an estimated $18,000 to 24,000.
According to the letter of authenticity signed by Aldrin, the toothbrush and its plastic holder were aboard the Apollo 11 mission to the moon between July 16 and July 24, 1969. The S-19 model manufactured by Lactona, a Dutch manufacturer of oral hygiene products, was part of the astronauts’ dental care set. Aldrin used the toothbrush while in the Columbia command module and the Eagle lunar module prior to the lunar landing. “It is one of only two toothbrushes taken to the lunar surface during the first moon landing. I continued to use it during our journey home to earth after leaving the moon,” the astronaut stated in the document.
Other than the broken rubber tip, the toothbrush shows only the usual signs of use and is otherwise in fine condition, according to Heritage Auctions.
Michael Riley, senior historian and chief cataloguer for space exploration at the auction house, stated that the toothbrush is part of the Steven R. Belasco Collection of Space Memorabilia, featuring more than 300 items that will be auctioned on April 18. Belasco was a collector who managed to acquire many rare space artefacts from various memorable moments of NASA. The collection also includes Neil Armstrong’s childhood toy airplane.
The online auction of the toothbrush opened at $9,000 and Internet bidding ends April 17 at 10:00 p.m.
Article from Healthcare Learning
http://www.healthcare-learning.com/news/item/buzz-aldrin%20s-space-toothbrush-to-be-auctioned
No comments yet.