Buzz Aldrin's Flown Gemini Silver Medallions Set to Auction at Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

One of the 24 highly-prized sets of Gemini space mission sterling silver medallions is included in the upcoming auction of a long-time NASA engineer's estate.

A set of 24 highly prized Gemini space mission sterling silver medallions, originally owned by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, will be auctioned by Goldbergs on February 27, 2025.

The medallions were flown on each of the two-man Gemini missions conducted by NASA in 1965 and 1966. The set is housed in a lucite block and mounted on a wood base, with a plaque that reads, "These commemorative medallions were flown on each of their respective flights."

Aldrin has signed the base in blue Sharpie to the left of the plaque. The medallions are being sold by the heirs of Mark C. McClelland, a longtime NASA engineer whose estate includes a museum-quality collection of vintage photographs, astronaut autographs, aerospace contractors' rocket models, and five American flags flown to the moon and back.

"This is a significant piece of NASA history, worthy of any museum's aerospace collections or elite collector," said Freeman Fisher, Director of Manuscripts & Collectibles at Goldberg Coins & Collectibles.

The auction will also feature a rare, autographed photograph of astronaut Neil Armstrong, taken during the iconic live broadcast of his historic first steps on the moon.

"The remarkable estate of NASA Spacecraft Operator (ScO) Clark C. McClelland (1936–2021) includes a museum-quality collection of vintage, original photographs spanning nearly 40 space missions from the Mercury to Apollo programs," said Freeman Fisher, Director of Manuscripts & Collectibles at Goldberg Coins & Collectibles.

"The auction includes a rare, autographed photograph of astronaut Neil Armstrong, captured during the iconic live broadcast of his historic first steps on the moon," added Fisher.

"My father worked on hundreds of manned and unmanned U.S. missions during his 34 years (1958-1992) with NASA at Cape Canaveral in Florida," recalled Carrie Lane, one of McClelland's daughters. "He also did projects at the Johnson Space Center in Texas and the secretive Area 51 in Nevada."

McClelland's son-in-law Russell Lane stated: "He loved our country, NASA, and the space program, and did everything he could to inspire the next generation about science, engineering, and space."

As a NASA engineer, McClelland conducted extensive technical checkouts for simulated flights of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, space shuttles, and Skylab space station missions.

The full auction catalog is available free online at https://auctions.goldbergcoins.com/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/119. Printed copies are available by mail in the U.S. for $20 each and $40 each for copies sent outside the U.S.

For more information regarding the auction, visit www.GoldbergCoins.com, or contact Goldberg Coins & Collectibles at (310) 551-2646 or by email at freeman@goldbergcoins.com.