The U.S.
Enter sharp-eyed Nancy Lee Carlson, a bit of an amateur
geologist though by her own admission not much of a rock collector. Two years ago she came across an auction run
by one of those private companies, with a listing for a lot that included “One
flown zippered lunar sample return bag with lunar dust (‘Lunar Bag’), 11.5
inches; tear at center. Flown mission
unknown”. Myself, I would have been very
skeptical. But Ms. Carlson trusted that
since this was an auction sanctioned by the USMS, the lunar dust bag must be
genuine. She bid $995—and won.
Once in possession of the bag of dust, she found a serial
number on the bag and researched National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) records to determine that it had flown on the very first lunar landing
mission, Apollo 11, in July, 1969. Her next
task was to verify that the dust inside was actually from the moon’s
surface. She ended up sending it to NASA
for authentication. They did verify it
as genuine but then decided they should keep it because they felt they were the
rightful owner, and it should be on public display. NASA doesn’t allow individuals to own any
bits of the moon.
To make a long story short, Ms. Carlson sued NASA, won her
case, has possession again of the precious dust, and is auctioning it at
Sotheby’s in New York
You may read a bit more background to the story and the
impending auction at
So what lessons are there here for personal finance?
Online auctions,
properly vetted, can be a boon for someone in a situation that demands
extreme budgeting (deep in debt, more expenses than income, jobless). They may serve as a source for essential but
less expensive goods or may provide an income through re-selling. Or it could just make a great hobby, now or
in retirement. The USMC has a page on
its website describing their process. https://www.usmarshals.gov/assets/
Keep good records and
be careful how you clean house. When
the Apollo moon program was winding down and NASA was preparing for the space
shuttle program, storage space at NASA was at a premium, and accounts from that
time tell of NASA employees giving away or even throwing away items
recklessly. It is believed that is how Ms.
Carlson’s lunar bag began its journey from NASA into private hands. To my thinking, those NASA employees fall
into the same category as the evil step-mother who throws away all the
stepchildren’s belongings while they are away at college. Hear me?
Know the value of what
you own. The auctioneer contracted
by the USMS valued the lunar bag at $15 in its online listing. What could they have garnered for the
government (and for themselves in commissions) if they had done a little more
homework?
But the best lesson comes from Ms. Carlson herself. She plans to donate most of the several
million dollars expected to be paid at July’s auction of the lunar dust to
scientific and medical research. So
while NASA claimed to want the lunar bag for the sake of the public but treated
it like dust, and finally lost it, Ms. Carlson saw its value, did what it took
to obtain and keep it, and with it will generate a sizable charitable donation
to the public good in the process.
Golden.
Until next time,
Roger
“The kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold
all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44 NIV®*
*Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission.
All rights reserved worldwide.
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