During the moon landing, Michael Collins remained aboard the Apollo capsule orbiting the moon. The lunar lander left the surface, rendezvoused with the command module and then headed back to Earth. Apollo 11 landed in the ocean and the astronauts were picked up by the U.S.S. Hornet. The World welcomed the astronauts back as heros on July 24, 1969 and promptly put them into quarantine to be sure that no moon microbes were picked up that would infect the planet. The Apollo 11 mission to the moon was completed. Man’s dream to reach the moon had been accomplished. Now man could concentrate on touching the planets and someday, the stars.

Hundreds of manufacturers produced souvenirs after the moon landing. The quality of the items produced varies from incredibly cheap to enormously expensive. Phonograph records were popular. You could re-live the liftoff, the touchdown, the rendezvous and the return to Earth over and over again. The records were great souvenirs. Imagine wondering what Abraham Lincoln sounded like when he recited his Gettysburg Address. We will never know, but everyone in the future will be able to hear the actual voices of the astronauts as they landed and then set foot on the moon for the first time in history, provided that someone transfers these recordings to the current music media. First day covers are available from around the World and many good books document the Apollo 11 flight.

“First Man On The Moon” commemorative items, were produced in quantity. The variety can be overwhelming to a collector so it pays to be selective. Items such as medallions, plates, drinking mugs, etc. were made by the tens of thousands and often, the item was promised to increase in value. Most of these collector pieces have not increased in value. The reason is that collector items were usually saved and kept in perfect condition. Items meant to be used were rarely saved nor are they likely to be in mint condition. The toys, games and non-collector pieces which were produced in lesser quantities were thrown away and will be difficult to find. Items inspired by the flights before and after the first moon landing are usually scarcer than the moon landing pieces.

Group of 3-4" Welcome Back Astronaut buttons for Apollo 11. The lower right one is rare	At left is a more decorative pin for evening wear.

Astronauts of Apollo 11 Jigsaw puzzle

A collection of Apollo 11 buttons with ribbons

My collection of Space Paintings

Large oil on canvas by an unknown painter. It is 25 inches by 33 inches without the frame.

Small oil on canvas by painter, R. Crawford. It is 11 inches by 14 inches without the frame.

 

Medium poster paint on board by painter, Ed Hengeveld from the Netherlands. It is 12 inches by 16 inches without the frame.	Medium poster paint on board by painter, Ed Hengeveld from the Netherlands. It is 12 inches by 16 inches without the frame.

Medium poster paint on board by painter, Ed Hengeveld from the Netherlands. It is 12 inches by 16 inches without the frame.	Medium acrylic paint on board by NJ painter, Neal DePinto. It is 15 inches by 20 inches without the frame.

Small oil paint on canvas by Stuart Schneider. It is 11 inches by 14 inches without the frame.	Medium oil paint on canvas by Stuart Schneider. It is 15 inches by 19 inches without the frame.

Apollo Z toy space capsule. It has an interesting action. It travels along the floor, then stops, blinks, and the metal arm on the bottom goes down so that the capule tilts up in the air. Then the front clear end extends out and away from the rocket section. Then it reverses and goes back down to scooting along the floor. Made in Japan, 12 inches long.

After the USA landed a man on the Moon, the USSR landed a remote controled lunar rover in 1970, called "Lunokhod" or moon walker. This model was made by a Russian toy maker and sold in the Soviet Union. It is 9.0 inches long and is very cool - sometimes called the garbage can on wheels.

A Soviet button honoring the Lunokhod landing on the moon