The 30 Minute Rule begins April 23 at 7:00 PM EDT. An Initial Bid Must Be Placed By April 23 at 6:00 PM EDT To Participate After 6:00 PM EDT
A wide-ranging and carefully assembled collection of space memorabilia spanning the full arc of America's manned spaceflight program, from the pioneering days of Project Mercury through the Space Shuttle era. Assembled over many years by Clifford Hochman, the collection reflects a genuine passion for the men and missions that defined the Space Age, with particular depth in Apollo-era signatures, mission-flown covers, signed books, and display pieces representing the most celebrated names in astronaut history.
The collection is notable for its breadth of signatures, encompassing nearly every major figure of the American space program. Mercury astronauts represented include John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, and Deke Slayton, with highlights including an impressive multi-signed display featuring 18 Mercury astronaut autographs, and souvenir typescripts from We Seven signed by Glenn and Slayton. Apollo coverage is especially strong, with signed items from moonwalkers Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Charles Conrad, Edgar Mitchell, Jim Irwin, Alan Shepard, and Gene Cernan, alongside crew-signed covers, photographs, and documents representing Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, and 17. The Skylab and Gemini programs are also well represented, as is the Space Shuttle era through a crew-signed oversized STS-2 photograph. Beyond the astronauts themselves, the collection includes signed books from key figures behind the missions, including legendary Flight Director Chris Kraft and Pad Leader Guenter Wendt.
The collection comprises 28 lots total, including the following:
Mercury Astronaut Autograph Display — Matted and framed display featuring 18 signatures of Mercury astronauts including Glenn, Shepard, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper, and Slayton, with FDCs, photographs, and embroidered mission patches
John Glenn and Deke Slayton — Souvenir typescripts from We Seven, individually signed
Mercury Astronauts Signed Books (4) — Moon Shot (Shepard), Leap of Faith (Cooper), John Glenn: A Memoir (Glenn, inscribed to Hochman), and For Spacious Skies (Carpenter)
Scott Carpenter — Signed official NASA lithograph
Mercury and Apollo Astronauts FDC — Apollo 11 fifth-anniversary commemorative cover signed by McDivitt, Slayton, Schweickart, Gordon, Cooper, and Haise
Gemini 5 Group Lot — Signed crew photo and NASA Fact Sheet, signed by Charles Conrad and Gordon Cooper
Apollo 14 Crew Items — Three individually framed pieces: Alan Shepard–signed launch day cover, Edgar Mitchell–signed card, and Stuart Roosa TLS describing the mission's Fra Mauro landing
Apollo 12 Launch Day Cover — Signed by Bean, Conrad, and Gordon
Charles Conrad Group Lot — Signed Skylab 2 NASA photo, recovery cover, and FDC
Charles Conrad: Rendezvous in Space Cabernet (1997) and Poster — Unopened Museum of Flight commemorative bottle and matching event poster
Charles Conrad — Signed red-numbered NASA aerial photo of Waco, Texas
Alan Bean — Signed color photo inscribed "Reach for the Stars! Alan Bean, Apollo XII"
Alan Bean Signed Books (3) — Apollo: An Eyewitness Account (inscribed to Hochman), Mission Control, This is Apollo, and Painting Apollo, all signed in gold ink
Buzz Aldrin — Signed leatherbound Easton Press collector's edition of Spaceflight: The Complete Story
Buzz Aldrin and Sally Ride — Three signed Mars-related books, including two copies of Welcome to Mars (Aldrin) and The Mysteries of Mars (Ride)
Jim Irwin — Handwritten and signed expense report ADS with original hotel and American Express receipts
Gene Cernan — Signed 25th anniversary Apollo 17 poster from Triton College's Cernan Earth & Space Center
Moonwalkers Signed Books (3) — Reaching for the Moon (Aldrin), Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, and Apollo: The Story of the First Voyage to the Moon (Bean)
Astronauts Signed Book — The Greatest Adventure, signed by Carpenter, Conrad, Stafford, Bean, Gibson, and Ride on a numbered bookplate (158/2000)
Alan Shepard — Signed first edition of Man's Greatest Adventure
NASA Mission Control Signed Books (3) — Go, Flight! signed by 16 Mission Control personnel; The Unbroken Chain inscribed by Guenter Wendt; Flight: My Life in Mission Control inscribed by Chris Kraft
Skylab 4 Crew-Signed Photographs — Three individually signed color photos of the Skylab III launch, signed by Jerry Carr, Bill Pogue, and Ed Gibson
STS-2 Oversized Crew-Signed Photograph — 14 x 11 Space Shuttle Columbia launch photo signed by Joe Engle and Richard Truly, inscribed to Secretary Margaret Heckler
Apollo Paperweights by John Gentile (3) — Glass paperweights honoring Apollo 11, 15, and 17
Saturn V and Space Shuttle Discovery Models — 1:200 scale models of both iconic American launch vehicles
Apollo LM/CSM Model — 1:48 scale model of the Lunar Module docked with the Command and Service Module
Apollo Landing Lladro Figurine — Porcelain figurine marking the 25th anniversary of the Apollo landing
Vitaly Myagkov Lithograph, The Gods — Limited edition spacewalk lithograph, numbered 590/1000, signed by the artist
From the collection of Clifford Hochman.
This item is Pre-Certified by STEVE ZARELLI
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
(inquire for price)
*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.
