Updated: Tuesday, 19 Jul 2011, 10:15 PM CDT Published : Tuesday, 19 Jul 2011, 10:15 PM CDT
The last space shuttle is scheduled to conclude its final mission on Thursday.
If all goes as planned, Atlantis will touch down exactly 42-years after the first human set foot on the moon.
That man was Neil Armstrong. And today, his autograph is worth thousands of dollars. That is, if it’s the real McCoy.
Armstrong signatures are rare and valuable in part because he stopped signing in 1994, says local collector Anthony Pizzitola.
“The first man on the moon is now the first astronaut in history to refuse to sign autographs,” says Pizzitola. “For Nancy Pelosi, for children, Eagle Scouts or anyone.”
When Armstrong stopped signing, says Pizzitola, the value of his John Hancock skyrocketed. And forgeries flooded the market.
“There’s probably 25-percent real, 75-percent fake,” estimates the collector.
Pizzitola has just compiled a reference guide called “Neal Armstrong: The Quest For His Autograph,” which explains how to tell the genuine “Neil Armstrongs” from the phonies.
He says he can understand why Armstrong stopped signing, since the pioneering astronaut was always a reluctant hero.
“He never wanted to be the first man on the moon and have to carry the baggage of the fame and the celebrity that went along with it.”
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