ANTIQUES Roadshow has left the owner of a historic photograph stunned after an evaluation of its worth.
The picture included signatures from iconic NASA astronauts considered the very first tasked to further space exploration.
Known as the Mercury Seven — Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John Glenn Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr., and Donald “Deke” Slayton — were part of Project Mercury, per NASA.
The group was assembled in 1959 after a lengthy screening process and tests for hundreds of applicants.
Their mission was to operate a spacecraft around Earth’s orbit, observe human conditions, and arrive back safely.
It was a precursor to the Apollo 11 mission and America’s arrival on the surface of the Moon a decade later on July 20, 1969.
The owner of the photograph’s father had been a doctor working with the Air Force and NASA at the time and evaluated each of the members of the Mercury Seven during their training process.
His father obtained the picture and signatures as a gift to his sons.
“My father knew these guys,” he told Antiques Roadshow appraiser Philip Weiss during a 2009 episode.
A few of the members even came over to the owner’s home for dinner.
DIRE DOCUMENT
He also had a document for additional authenticity — his father’s medical itinerary for the examinations assigned to each member of the Mercury Seven team.
Weiss called the itinerary “wonderful” as it not only provided detailed information about the astronauts but even identified an eighth member who was cut from the mission.
“That adds significantly to the value of the picture,” the appraiser also emphasized.
Weiss said, considering the photograph itself, most of the signatures were still “strong” and visible, but some had a bit of fading from bright light.
While it would negatively impact the value of the rare collectible set slightly, the document made up for most of it.
Additionally, the market for space memorabilia would also affect the photograph and document’s worth.
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WHAT’S IT WORTH?
During the filming of the episode, it was around the time of the anniversary of the Moon landing, so the desire for memorabilia was high.
Given all the factors, Weiss told the owner that the set would go at auction for anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 but advised him to insure it for at least $7,500.
Now, 15 years later, the value of the items would’ve increased exponentially, according to Antiques Roadshow.
The 2024 value of the photograph and document of the Mercury Seven would be $20,000 to $30,000.
A former NASA worker found his model of an iconic rocket was similarly worth $30,000 after taking it to Antiques Roadshow.
The model was for the Apollo 11 mission, with signatures from over 15 astronauts.
Along with other memorabilia, including pictures of him inspecting the actual rocket, an appraiser said the set of items would be worth at least $85,000.
