SPACE enthusiasts stirred by U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong’s venture to the moon spent more than US$4 million in just the first day of a rare auction of Armstrong’s personal collection of memorabilia.

The top seller by late Thursday was a plaque that held the Apollo 11 lunar module’s ID plate, which went for US$468,500. Other big-ticket items were a 12-by-18-inch (30-by-46-cm) flag, a medal honoring the astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire two years prior and a piece of the Wright Flyer. All three went to the moon with Armstrong in 1969 and all three went for US$275,000 each.

Armstrong died in 2012 at age 82.

The auction is the first major sale of Armstrong’s personal collection that comes amid a growing demand for space collectibles as the 50th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 moon landing approaches. Two other auctions of Armstrong’s collection are planned for next year: one in May and another in November.

Neil’s son, Mark Armstrong, said some of the money will go to charities and organizations, and some will go toward a foundation he is creating that will be environmentally focused.

Julie Ahlers nabbed a flight suit worn by Armstrong during the Gemini program. Ahlers dropped more than US$109,000 on the suit, which will be on display at the Neil Armstrong Museum in Armstrong’s hometown of Wapokoneta, Ohio.

She also spent US$11,875 for a July 21, 1969 Newsweek magazine that has Armstrong on the cover and still includes the address level that was used to deliver it to his home in Texas. That, too, will go in the museum.

Another highly coveted item sold Thursday was an envelope signed by Armstrong, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and their third crewmate, Michael Collins. The envelope was considered “insurance cover” that family members could sell if the astronauts failed to return. It was sold for US$18,750.

Other items sold included a stainless steel throwing knife that went for US$21,250, a Navy Aviator notebook for US$18,750, and a crayon drawing of flowers Armstrong created for his mother that sold for $15,000.

Also popular among bidders were Armstrong’s Boy Scouts of America cap and his NASA patches.(SD-Agencies)