Space Photography Results
Sotheby’s first annual Space Photography Online auction came to a close earlier this week after running online since late November. The auction brought together a selection of 215 photographs from a number of NASA missions as well as other space-related photographs:
Sotheby’s is thrilled to announce our inaugural Space Photography online auction. Enthusiasm for such material has steadily increased over the years, and 2019 marks an important landmark in this field: the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The images present in this sale tell the story of the historic events leading up to Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon, and those that followed.
The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa forms the core of this sale, with 140 photographs—primarily official “Red Number” images—chronicling the history of the United States space program from Gemini 4 through the shuttle missions. Additionally, Sotheby’s is proud to offer selections from the estate of Bill Taub, NASA’s first senior photographer, who covered every major NASA event from the beginning of project Mercury to the end of Apollo. With a skilled, often artistic eye, Taub’s photographs capture many of NASA’s most significant figures and moments with sense of style and intimacy. And for those who embrace a broader definition of space exploration, this sale will also feature a number of “UFO” photographs taken by “Billy” Eduard Albert Meier, founder of the Free Community of Interests for the Border and Spiritual Sciences and Ufological Studies.
The auction hosted a variety of affordable lots with estimates as low as $600 and a hammer price of just $125. With such minor sales prices it is understandable that this premier auction raised little more than $380,250.
The most expensive print was [Apollo 8] Earthrise, as photographed from the Apollo 8 CM. photographed by William Anders, which had an original estimate of $4,000 to $6,000 but reached a $60,000 hammer price.
A collection of six vintage prints by “Billy” Eduard Albert Meier of UFOs in Switzerland sold for $16,250 after a valuation of $6,000-$9,000.
The famous photograph of the first boot print on the surface of the moon taken during the Apollo 11 mission was the third most expensive lot with a hammer price of $13,750 after a top estimate of $5,000.
All three top lots outperformed their initial estimates, suggesting there is an appetite for more space photographs. The second auction in this series is expected the same time next year. C