Instrument and Equipment
See also : Inventions Ancient science Sciences from 1800 Travel Space Movies Movies II Music hall
Chronology : 1912 1956 1977
Chronology : 1912 1956 1977
1505 The Computer of the Ottoman Sky
2014 SOLD for £ 960K including premium
Invented a little over 2000 years ago, the astrolabe is the computer of the sky. This ancient star tracker measured the time by locating the position of the sky, provided you know the latitude and, to a lesser extent, the altitude.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometric design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
Muslim astronomers have developed this instrument for centuries, from the late second century AH. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied: solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
The Sultan Bayezid II encouraged astronomy. Two astrolabes made for the use of his court are known. One of them is estimated £ 800K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 8, lot 135.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 in our calendar. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometric design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
Muslim astronomers have developed this instrument for centuries, from the late second century AH. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied: solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
The Sultan Bayezid II encouraged astronomy. Two astrolabes made for the use of his court are known. One of them is estimated £ 800K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 8, lot 135.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 in our calendar. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
1903 The Favorite Organ of Milhous Brothers
2012 SOLD 1.26 M$ including premium
I promised that I discuss once again the sale of the Milhous collection, in Boca Raton FL by RM Auctions in association with Sotheby's. The choice is vast. The session dedicated to mechanical musical instruments on February 25 includes nearly one hundred lots.
For selecting the piece to be presented here, I let the brothers talk. In the general video introduction of the sale, between 0:50 and 1:15, they reveal their favorite instrument, a fairground organ manufactured in 1903 by Ruth and sons in Waldkirch.
This small town in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg was a capital city of this specialty and Bruder and Ruth were the two major brands. Limonaire, the French manufacturer of street organs, also operated a plant in the town.
The Style 38-B is one of the largest mechanical organs ever built: 5.20 x 2.70 x 1.70 m. Its facade is richly sculpted with figures of Baroque musicians, not to omit the angels playing trumpets. According to the catalog, only two examples arein existence. The Milhous organ is estimated $ 1M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The favorite instrument of Milhous brothers exceeded its lower estimate. It was sold at $ 1.1 million hammer price. This is a great result in its category.
Here is the video quoted above, shared by RM Auctions on YouTube.
For selecting the piece to be presented here, I let the brothers talk. In the general video introduction of the sale, between 0:50 and 1:15, they reveal their favorite instrument, a fairground organ manufactured in 1903 by Ruth and sons in Waldkirch.
This small town in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg was a capital city of this specialty and Bruder and Ruth were the two major brands. Limonaire, the French manufacturer of street organs, also operated a plant in the town.
The Style 38-B is one of the largest mechanical organs ever built: 5.20 x 2.70 x 1.70 m. Its facade is richly sculpted with figures of Baroque musicians, not to omit the angels playing trumpets. According to the catalog, only two examples arein existence. The Milhous organ is estimated $ 1M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The favorite instrument of Milhous brothers exceeded its lower estimate. It was sold at $ 1.1 million hammer price. This is a great result in its category.
Here is the video quoted above, shared by RM Auctions on YouTube.
1912 Early Songs in the Cinema
2015 SOLD for € 1.24M including premium
French inventors were passionate about the transformation of photography into a full size show. This black and white image will give birth by phases to the sound cinema in colors by projection.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
1923 Photography on Flexible Film
2018 SOLD for € 2.4M including premium
In 1911 Oskar Barnack was hired by Leitz. Founded in the mid-19th century, the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz company established in Wetzlar specialized in precision mechanics for optical instruments.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
2.9 million! The Leica 0-series camera of 1923 sold by Westlicht (@WestLichtVienna) for a record $2,952,670 https://t.co/4T3CGKW40C #antiques #antique #auction #camera #photo #photography #Leica #art #record pic.twitter.com/Sa6piIVrpY
— Maine Antique Digest (@AntiqueDigest) May 31, 2018
1923 Marketing the First Leicas
2011 SOLD 1.32 M€ including premium
The Leica has propelled photography into the modern world. The idea was to provide a compact and handy camera using the 35 mm motion picture film.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
1956 Robots from Outer Space
2017 SOLD for $ 5.4M including premium
The conquest of space is a poorly guarded secret : in 1954, appealed by early informations in the magazines, Hergé sends the Tintin team to walk on the Moon. In the following year the United States and the Soviet Union announce their competing programs a few days apart one another.
In 1956 the MGM prepares Forbidden Planet. The intelligent humanoid robot named Robby is the star of the movie, especially as the terrible evil monster named Id is invisible. In this Shakespearian drama whose scenario is apparently inspired by The Tempest, the robot dies atrociously : obliged to respond to Asimov's laws that forbids it to harm a human being, it breaks up because it cannot oppose Id which is actually a psychic emanation of the mad scientist.
In the following year Sputnik I is the first artificial satellite of the Earth. Less advanced than the nice Robby it only says "beep beep beep". Meanwhile the real Robby receives a huge popular success and it will then be reused in many science fiction movies.
Robby is a complex machine for its time : talking, walking, reaching out and flashing with all its lights. It is activated incognito by a small man hidden inside. The rubber hands and the dome have not survived the test of time and were changed in the early 1980s by a careful collector. Accompanied by its Jeep, remote control console and some spare equipment, it will be sold in New York on November 21 by Bonhams in association with Turner Classic Movies, lot 1070.
Other robots aroused also later the fervor of the public. R2-D2, shaped like a more modern 1 m high electronic equipment mounted on small wheels, has been continuously modified from 1977 for the needs of the Star Wars series. It was sold for $ 2.75M by Profiles in History on June 28, 2017.
In 1956 the MGM prepares Forbidden Planet. The intelligent humanoid robot named Robby is the star of the movie, especially as the terrible evil monster named Id is invisible. In this Shakespearian drama whose scenario is apparently inspired by The Tempest, the robot dies atrociously : obliged to respond to Asimov's laws that forbids it to harm a human being, it breaks up because it cannot oppose Id which is actually a psychic emanation of the mad scientist.
In the following year Sputnik I is the first artificial satellite of the Earth. Less advanced than the nice Robby it only says "beep beep beep". Meanwhile the real Robby receives a huge popular success and it will then be reused in many science fiction movies.
Robby is a complex machine for its time : talking, walking, reaching out and flashing with all its lights. It is activated incognito by a small man hidden inside. The rubber hands and the dome have not survived the test of time and were changed in the early 1980s by a careful collector. Accompanied by its Jeep, remote control console and some spare equipment, it will be sold in New York on November 21 by Bonhams in association with Turner Classic Movies, lot 1070.
Other robots aroused also later the fervor of the public. R2-D2, shaped like a more modern 1 m high electronic equipment mounted on small wheels, has been continuously modified from 1977 for the needs of the Star Wars series. It was sold for $ 2.75M by Profiles in History on June 28, 2017.
1961 From Sputnik 1 to Gagarin
2011 SOLD 2.9 M$ including premium
Sputnik 1 demonstrated in October 1957 the feasibility of orbital flights. It was only a small sphere of 58 cm in diameter, but the Soviets had other plans ready in their boxes.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
1969 The Treasure that came from the Moon
2017 SOLD for $ 1.8M including premium
Before Apollo 11 only the poets knew how to speak about the Moon. Nothing was known about its surface which was perhaps toxic.
Neil Armstrong reached the lunar ground on July 21, 1969 at 02:56:15 UTC. After his statement for the history, his very first activity was to observe the soil and to take small rocks and dust. The managers of the mission wanted to avoid that a later incident prevents this highly precious collection which was carried out before Aldrin descended from the LM to join him.
Armstrong keeps his specimens in a Contingency Sample Bag specially designed to protect users against unidentified hazards. The bag is made with a multi-layer insulating fiber named Beta cloth along with polyester and closed by a brass zipper. It was emptied during the return journey with a vacuum process that was not very effective since some lunar dust remained inside the bag.
Flight used artefacts from Apollo 11 are very rare in the art market except for a few astronaut-managed memorabilia. The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Outer Decontamination Bag in which Armstrong temporarily stored his first samples is estimated over $ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on July 20, lot 102.
The availability of this historic piece at auction is the result of a double negligence from the NASA. In the 1970s when the Agency provided the Smithsonian with what remained of the Apollo 11 mission, the absence of the bag was not identified. NASA also did not check in 2014 a private collection ready to be auctioned on request from the government after a fraudulent behavior of its owner, the former director of a space museum in Kansas.
Identified as "One flown zippered lunar sample return bag with lunar dust ("Lunar Bag"), 11.5 inches; Tear at center. Flown Mission Unknown" the bag was finally bought in March 2015 by an amateur geologist delighted with that opportunity. She opens the pouch, records the references, starts an online search and finds that what she bought for $ 995 is the very first bag to have contained lunar samples.
NASA confirms the authenticity as well as the lunar nature of the dust remaining in the bag. Upset with their own blunder they tried to recover the artefact but the auction had been guaranteed by the US Marshals Service. Two lawsuits confirmed the regular ownership by the bidder who now promises to give to various charities a portion of the proceeds of the sale which she is entrusting to Sotheby's.
Neil Armstrong reached the lunar ground on July 21, 1969 at 02:56:15 UTC. After his statement for the history, his very first activity was to observe the soil and to take small rocks and dust. The managers of the mission wanted to avoid that a later incident prevents this highly precious collection which was carried out before Aldrin descended from the LM to join him.
Armstrong keeps his specimens in a Contingency Sample Bag specially designed to protect users against unidentified hazards. The bag is made with a multi-layer insulating fiber named Beta cloth along with polyester and closed by a brass zipper. It was emptied during the return journey with a vacuum process that was not very effective since some lunar dust remained inside the bag.
Flight used artefacts from Apollo 11 are very rare in the art market except for a few astronaut-managed memorabilia. The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Outer Decontamination Bag in which Armstrong temporarily stored his first samples is estimated over $ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on July 20, lot 102.
The availability of this historic piece at auction is the result of a double negligence from the NASA. In the 1970s when the Agency provided the Smithsonian with what remained of the Apollo 11 mission, the absence of the bag was not identified. NASA also did not check in 2014 a private collection ready to be auctioned on request from the government after a fraudulent behavior of its owner, the former director of a space museum in Kansas.
Identified as "One flown zippered lunar sample return bag with lunar dust ("Lunar Bag"), 11.5 inches; Tear at center. Flown Mission Unknown" the bag was finally bought in March 2015 by an amateur geologist delighted with that opportunity. She opens the pouch, records the references, starts an online search and finds that what she bought for $ 995 is the very first bag to have contained lunar samples.
NASA confirms the authenticity as well as the lunar nature of the dust remaining in the bag. Upset with their own blunder they tried to recover the artefact but the auction had been guaranteed by the US Marshals Service. Two lawsuits confirmed the regular ownership by the bidder who now promises to give to various charities a portion of the proceeds of the sale which she is entrusting to Sotheby's.
1971-1983 Abbey Road Studios recording console
2017 SOLD for $ 1.8M including premium by Bonhams
Link to catalogue.
1977 The Space Stations
2014 SOLD 1 M€ before fees
Lunar exploration was a feat worth to excite the public and to push the development of new technologies. The political impact was huge but the Moon brought nothing economically nor for Earth observation.
The era of the space stations succeeded the lunar adventure. The Soviets had not challenged the Americans on the Lunar project, but they also did not take a technological backwardness. The programs Skylab and Salyut were developed simultaneously.
The concept of a permanent orbiting laboratory that can be occupied by a crew was new and so was the technique of transferring capsules for their mooring to the station and subsequent come back to Earth.
Some Salyut stations were made for military use. It was the Almaz program, on which very limited information was published at that time.
On May 7 in Brussels, Lempertz sells a VA capsule (Vozvraschaemyi Apparat) used in the Almaz program. This piece 2.20 m high and 2.80 m in larger diameter weighing 1.9 tons is estimated between US $ 1M and 2M. It could transport three cosmonauts or unmanned heavy equipment. Here is the link to the first pre-sale press release.
Sent into space in 1977 and 1978, this unit was certainly the first spacecraft that was reused. At that time NASA began developing their space shuttle.
It was confirmed before sale that its two missions were unmanned.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for the space capsule : € 1M before fees.
The era of the space stations succeeded the lunar adventure. The Soviets had not challenged the Americans on the Lunar project, but they also did not take a technological backwardness. The programs Skylab and Salyut were developed simultaneously.
The concept of a permanent orbiting laboratory that can be occupied by a crew was new and so was the technique of transferring capsules for their mooring to the station and subsequent come back to Earth.
Some Salyut stations were made for military use. It was the Almaz program, on which very limited information was published at that time.
On May 7 in Brussels, Lempertz sells a VA capsule (Vozvraschaemyi Apparat) used in the Almaz program. This piece 2.20 m high and 2.80 m in larger diameter weighing 1.9 tons is estimated between US $ 1M and 2M. It could transport three cosmonauts or unmanned heavy equipment. Here is the link to the first pre-sale press release.
Sent into space in 1977 and 1978, this unit was certainly the first spacecraft that was reused. At that time NASA began developing their space shuttle.
It was confirmed before sale that its two missions were unmanned.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for the space capsule : € 1M before fees.
1977 The Disco Era
2017 SOLD for $ 1.2M including premium
Social life is changing for better and for worse. The young people from the working class cancel their boredom every weekend by dancing, dating and drinking in discotheques. A rock critic named Nik Cohn published in 1975 a story describing a dance hall in which the floor is illuminated in the rhythm of the music. He admitted twenty years later that this sensational animation had emerged from his own imagination.
The cinema takes hold of that idea. A 7 x 5 m floor is built, including 250 luminous compartments that illuminate in red, blue or yellow under the feet of the dancers. It is installed in a real nightclub in Brooklyn, considered as typical to the social environment addict to the disco.
John Travolta rehearses for unrestrained dances that are filmed in full length to avoid suspicion of dubbing, thus permanently showing the illumination of the floor. Released in 1977, the film Saturday Night Fever is a great success that launches the career of Travolta and leads the music of the Bee Gees at the top of the hit parade. Disco becomes a social phenomenon.
The dance floor remained in the Brooklyn nightclub until the closure of that establishment in 2005. It was so far ahead of its time that it was reused for another movie in 2012 with new panels offsetting the worn original panels.
The complete 1977 floor accompanied with its original light organ and its 2012 spare panels is estimated $ 1M for sale by Profiles in History in Calabasas CA on June 27, lot 1216 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform.
The cinema takes hold of that idea. A 7 x 5 m floor is built, including 250 luminous compartments that illuminate in red, blue or yellow under the feet of the dancers. It is installed in a real nightclub in Brooklyn, considered as typical to the social environment addict to the disco.
John Travolta rehearses for unrestrained dances that are filmed in full length to avoid suspicion of dubbing, thus permanently showing the illumination of the floor. Released in 1977, the film Saturday Night Fever is a great success that launches the career of Travolta and leads the music of the Bee Gees at the top of the hit parade. Disco becomes a social phenomenon.
The dance floor remained in the Brooklyn nightclub until the closure of that establishment in 2005. It was so far ahead of its time that it was reused for another movie in 2012 with new panels offsetting the worn original panels.
The complete 1977 floor accompanied with its original light organ and its 2012 spare panels is estimated $ 1M for sale by Profiles in History in Calabasas CA on June 27, lot 1216 here linked on the Invaluable bidding platform.