Wire report
One small pen for one giant fee: Buzz Aldrin’s mission-saving felt-tip sells for over $850,000
Second man on moon’s Duro Rocket pen, crucial to Apollo 11 return, reaches astronomical sum at Sotheby’s auction The felt-tip pen Buzz Aldrin used to fix a broken circuit-breaker and escape from the moon in 1969 has sold at auction in New York for more than $850,000 (£630,000). The dented silver plastic Duro Rocket pen – used by the second man on the moon to save Neil Armstrong and himself from being “stuck on the moon for ever” – had a sale price estimated by Sotheby’s at between $800,000 and $1.2m and went for $857,600 after being pursued by five bidders. The victor got the broken piece of circuit breaker, too, as part of the lot. Both came from Aldrin’s personal collection. Continue reading...
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Second man on moon’s Duro Rocket pen, crucial to Apollo 11 return, reaches astronomical sum at Sotheby’s auction The felt-tip pen Buzz Aldrin used to fix a broken circuit-breaker and escape from the moon in 1969 has sold at auction in New York for more than $850,000 (£630,000). The dented silver plastic Duro Rocket pen – used by the second man on the moon to save Neil Armstrong and himself from being “stuck on the moon for ever” – had a sale price estimated by Sotheby’s at between $800,000 and $1.2m and went for $857,600 after being pursued by five bidders. The victor got the broken piece of circuit breaker, too, as part of the lot. Both came from Aldrin’s personal collection. Continue reading...
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According to The Guardian’s linked report, One small pen for one giant fee: Buzz Aldrin’s mission-saving felt-tip sells for over $850,000, Second man on moon’s Duro Rocket pen, crucial to Apollo 11 return, reaches astronomical sum at Sotheby’s auction The felt-tip pen Buzz Aldrin used to fix a broken circuit-breaker and escape from the moon in 1969 has sold at auction in New York for more than $850,000 (£630,000). The dented silver plastic Duro Rocket pen – used by the second man on the moon to save Neil Armstrong and himself from being “stuck on the moon for ever” – had a sale price estimated by Sotheby’s at between $800,000 and $1.2m and went for $857,600 after being pursued by five bidders. The victor got the broken piece of circuit breaker, too, as part of the lot. Both came from Aldrin’s personal collection. Continue reading…
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The development sits in VINI’s Science coverage for readers following research, health, climate, space, medicine, and scientific institutions. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The linked report is dated 2026-07-15T15:17:34+00:00.
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Primary source: One small pen for one giant fee: Buzz Aldrin’s mission-saving felt-tip sells for over $850,000 via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- One small pen for one giant fee: Buzz Aldrin’s mission-saving felt-tip sells for over $850,000The Guardian - 2026-07-15T15:17:34+00:00
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