Derf's Grotto

[gotmilk]

Sotheby's on Thursday (July 20) will offer the moon dust-stained "lunar sample return" bag as part of its first auction dedicated to the relics of the United States space program.

The sale, which will take place at Sotheby's New York City gallery and on eBay, coincides with the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, on which the bag was used.

"This [Apollo 11 lunar sample return decontamination bag] is indeed the rarest and most important space exploration artifact to ever be offered," reads Sotheby's description for lot 102 in the July 20 "Space Exploration" auction catalog. "A true first of firsts; an item used to protect the first lunar sample, collected by the first man on the moon, during the first lunar landing."

Sotheby's expects the 12 by 8.5 inch (30 by 22 centimeter) bag to sell for upwards of $4 million. The zippered pouch, which was used to protect the bagged contingency sample that Neil Armstrong collected soon after stepping onto the moon, was mistakenly sold in 2015 by the U.S. Marshals Service and then briefly confiscated by NASA until a court ruled that it was to be returned to its present consignor.