Rare NASA and WWI Artefacts Head to Auction

A range of rare historical artefacts, including astronaut-signed spacecraft hardware from NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, will go under the hammer next month in Los Angeles.

Consisting of more than 250 objects, the one-day sale on Feb. 1 at Julien’s Auctions spans a dizzying range of categories, from collectibles signed by the world’s most famous politicians, writers, aviators, and scientists, to war regalia and other military accessories.

From the actual parts of the NASA Space Shuttle program that were flown in space to uniforms and accessories used in combat in the Great War as well as a collection of letters from the brilliant minds of our times, this is one of Julien’s most exceptional history auctions to date,” Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, tells Penta.

A portrait of Albert Einstein with a signed sheet.
Julien’s Auctions

The items span more than 300 years and include artefacts from the first mission to the moon.

“Many of these important museum-worthy objects represent the powerful achievements of the great innovators and trailblazers whose impact helped create the modern age,” Nolan said in a news release.

Lots from some of history’s most iconic space journeys include an original, space-flown rocket booster lid and orbiter wing insulator panels. Also up for grabs is a selection of photographs signed by Apollo 11 crew members Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.

Hobbyists with a focus on military history and conflict can choose from uniforms, accessories, newspapers, and everyday objects from bygone eras. Original World War I items such as a British Army steel combat helmet, a U.S. Marine Corps wool uniform, and a spiked German Pickelhaube helmet all carry presale estimates between US$300 and US$500.

A spiked German Pickelhaube helmet from World War I
Julien’s Auctions

An assortment of literary greats, scientific pioneers, and influential politicians will be represented with signed notes and ephemera. Boldface names include Eleanor Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Dorothy Parker.

Among the more notable examples is a typed and signed Hunter S. Thompson letter dating from 1959, in which the notable author describes his short-lived attempt to earn money by driving a taxi cab and how his mother keeps asking him when he’s going to finish his book. Also available is a collection of eulogies and correspondence relating to the death of John F. Kennedy, featuring statements and appreciation cards from Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, and various members of the Kennedy family.

Other highlights include a Bell X-1 model rocket research plane signed by Chuck Yeager (presale estimate: US$600 to US$800), and a cloche hat from Amelia Earhart Fashions, the 1933 fashion line designed by the aviator to help fund her circumnavigation of the globe (estimate: US$2,000 to US$3,000).

Australia is in the midst of a ‘baby recession’ with preliminary estimates showing the number of births in 2023 fell by more than four percent to the lowest level since 2006, according to KPMG. The consultancy firm says this reflects the impact of cost-of-living pressures on the feasibility of younger Australians starting a family.

KPMG estimates that 289,100 babies were born in 2023. This compares to 300,684 babies in 2022 and 309,996 in 2021, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said weak economic growth often leads to a reduced number of births. In 2023, ABS data shows gross domestic product (GDP) fell to 1.5 percent. Despite the population growing by 2.5 percent in 2023, GDP on a per capita basis went into negative territory, down one percent over the 12 months.

“Birth rates provide insight into long-term population growth as well as the current confidence of Australian families,” said Mr Rawnsley. “We haven’t seen such a sharp drop in births in Australia since the period of economic stagflation in the 1970s, which coincided with the initial widespread adoption of the contraceptive pill.”

Mr Rawnsley said many Australian couples delayed starting a family while the pandemic played out in 2020. The number of births fell from 305,832 in 2019 to 294,369 in 2020. Then in 2021, strong employment and vast amounts of stimulus money, along with high household savings due to lockdowns, gave couples better financial means to have a baby. This led to a rebound in births.

However, the re-opening of the global economy in 2022 led to soaring inflation. By the start of 2023, the Australian consumer price index (CPI) had risen to its highest level since 1990 at 7.8 percent per annum. By that stage, the Reserve Bank had already commenced an aggressive rate-hiking strategy to fight inflation and had raised the cash rate every month between May and December 2022.

Five more rate hikes during 2023 put further pressure on couples with mortgages and put the brakes on family formation. “This combination of the pandemic and rapid economic changes explains the spike and subsequent sharp decline in birth rates we have observed over the past four years,” Mr Rawnsley said.

The impact of high costs of living on couples’ decision to have a baby is highlighted in births data for the capital cities. KPMG estimates there were 60,860 births in Sydney in 2023, down 8.6 percent from 2019. There were 56,270 births in Melbourne, down 7.3 percent. In Perth, there were 25,020 births, down 6 percent, while in Brisbane there were 30,250 births, down 4.3 percent. Canberra was the only capital city where there was no fall in the number of births in 2023 compared to 2019.

“CPI growth in Canberra has been slightly subdued compared to that in other major cities, and the economic outlook has remained strong,” Mr Rawnsley said. “This means families have not been hurting as much as those in other capital cities, and in turn, we’ve seen a stabilisation of births in the ACT.”

Rare NASA and WWI Artefacts Head to Auction

Continued stagflation and cost of living pressures are causing couples to think twice about starting a family, new data has revealed, with long term impacts expected