1969 Apollo 11 Commemorative Moon Landing Medal. By Medallic Art Company. Gold. Awarded to Edwin E. Aldrin. Mint State. 63 mm, .585 fine. 170.8 grams, 99.9 grams AGW. <strong>Obv</strong>: Busts of Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin at center with Nasa logo between them, ARMSTRONG / COLLINS / ALDRIN near the busts; 11 / APOLLO below. <strong>Rev</strong>: Armstrong, Aldrin and the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the surface of the Moon, the Earth in the background; MANS / FIRST / LUNAR / LANDING / JULY 20-21 / 1969 in the right field. <strong>Edge</strong>: MEDALLIC ART CO. NY 14K. Lustrous golden surfaces are virtually pristine, and the high relief devices fully present exacting details. Housed in a cabinet style blue leather box with gilt decoration and with a functional latch. A stand on the reverse pops out and acts as an easel. The front of the case reads EDWIN E. ALDRIN in gilt lettering and the reverse MEDALLIC ART CO. / NEW YORK. The interior is red plush and white silk and is unmarked. Though we are unaware of the specific ceremony in which this medal was awarded to Aldrin, there is no doubt this was a special presentation piece. The case references Aldrin, and the gold composition is clearly something special. Designed by Ralph J. Menconi, the Medallic Art Company manufactured these medals in sterling silver (limited to 10,000 pieces) and bronze (open edition) and both are easily obtainable on the secondary market today. We have never encountered one in gold, however, and have unable to locate any other examples though we strongly suspect identical examples were awarded to Armstrong and Collins. From the Wendy and Harris Lefkon Collection.
