Exceptionally important and desirable 1793 Wreath Cent Historic "Space Penny" that Orbited the Earth 206 times Aboard Gemini VII wil be auctioned in the Part I of the D. Brent Pogue Collection Auction in New York City on May 19, 2015. 1793 also happens to have been made the first year that the United States Mint produced coins in large numbers for general circulation.
“Over many years, we have enjoyed handling the rarest and most valuable coins ever sold, but this piece is particularly exciting for its unique history,” said John Pack, executive director of consignments for Stack’s Bowers Galleries.
The cent orbited the Earth 206 times between December 4 and December 18, 1965, aboard the Gemini VII, controlled by astronauts Frank Borman and James A. Lovell. However, they were unaware of their precious cargo. The coin had been slipped into their medical kit by NASA physician, Dr. Howard A. Minners, and was not revealed to them until the orbiter had landed and was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by the crew of the U.S.S. Wasp. Hours after the recovery of the vessel, Dr. Minners opened the medical kit, shared the presence of the cent with the astronauts, and photographed the coin alongside other contents of the kit. The whole affair is well documented by Borman, Lovell and Minners, who jointly prepared a statement on NASA letterhead attesting to the facts on January 25, 1966. The story was later reported on the Associated Press newswire in October 1972, the first time the coin was sold privately by the original owner.
The coin will be sold with the original related documentation, including Minners’ photograph of the coin with contents of the medical kit, as well as original NASA photographs from the Gemini VII mission, letters from Minners, and a Gemini VII flight patch from the mission.
“The public auction venue will allow the excitement and desire of collectors to determine the real value of this historic piece today,” commented rare coin expert Q. David Bowers, one of the founders of the auction firm, who has personally handled hundreds of millions of dollars in rare coins in his 60-year career. “This is truly an exciting opportunity, particularly when one considers the awe that the space program instilled in the minds of people around the world in the 1960s,” continued Bowers. As a one-time collector and student of meteorites, the appearance of the “Space Penny,” as it was once called, is an exciting combination of two of his long-time passions, which are shared by many other collectors.
Also included in this lot are the following supporting materials:
- Letter from Howard Minners to William Ulrich dated December 15, 1965, with original postmarked envelope.
- Certification letter signed by Frank Borman, James Lovell and Howard Minners dated January 25, 1966.
- Letter from Howard Minners to William Ulrich dated March 9, 1966, with accompanying photo of the cent in the inflight medical kit and a Gemini VII mission patch.
- April 18, 1966, clipping from the Tupelo, Mississippi Daily Journal.
- September 13, 1972, clipping from Coin World.
- October 3, 1972, clipping from Numismatic News Weekly.
- Photocopy of October 4, 1972, clipping from Chicago Daily News.
- October 5, 1972, clipping from The Miami Herald.
- Photocopy of December 16, 1977, clipping from unknown city, Missouri Daily News.
- September 20, 1980, clipping from the Worcester, Massachusetts The Evening Gazette.
- February 17, 1987, bill of sale to Paul Sims, Inc. from Tallarico Rare Coins, Inc.
- (5) photographs of the Gemini VII spacecraft and related material.
- Gemini VII postal cover signed by Frank Borman, James Lovell and Gus Grissom.
- Gemini VII postal cover signed by Frank Borman.
- Gemini VII postal cover signed by James Lovell.
- (3) additional Gemini VII postal covers.
- Custom Capital Plastics holder that housed the coin prior to its certification by NGC.
- (2) additional pieces of related ephemera.
The coin will be available for lot viewing at upcoming Stack’s Bowers Galleries auctions, at the company’s Irvine, Calif. corporate headquarters by appointment in April 2015, its New York City gallery May 8-15, 2015, and on exhibit at Sotheby’s May 16-19, 2015. For more information or to schedule a lot-viewing appointment, please call 800.458.4646 (West Coast) or 800.566.2580 (East Coast), or email info@stacksbowers.com.
