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The Robbins Medallions |
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 The Robbins Medallions:Flown Treasure from the Apollo Space Program by Howard C. Weinberger Publisher: Toy Ring Journal - See note below ISBN 0-9677712-0-X Reviewed by: David Frohman Michael Orenstein and Robert Zane Pearlman Review by David Frohman I have just had the pleasure of completing Howard Weinberger's excellent reference work, The Robbins Medallions: Flown Treasure from the Apollo Space Program. For many years, the existence of the Robbins Medallions has been well known, primarily among the small group of space collectors and dealers specializing in artifacts of the space program. These medallions fall into the realm of material actually flown to the Moon aboard the Apollo lunar flights, which in themselves are, in my opinion, among the most precious artifacts in Man's possession today on the planet Earth. As the field of space collecting rapidly matures, with new collectors being added every day, and prices become more astronomical, it is vitally important that accurate information become available to collectors and dealers alike. Weinberger's work goes a long way toward quantifying what has previously been an area of conjecture and speculation with regard to the Robbins Medallions, by presenting, for the first time, a comprehensive wealth of specifics regarding these wonderful and elusive treasures of the space program. I am thus pleased to heartily endorse this fine work. David Frohman is the President of Peachstate Historical Consulting, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the world's premier firms dealing in the finest authentic artifacts of the pioneer Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He can be reached, toll-free at (888) 644-7322, or via e-mail at dfrohman@mindspring.com Review by Michael Orenstein Howard Weinberger has written a concise, fact-filled, little book that not only provides extraordinary detail about the Robbins Medallions themselves, but also provides the background and historical context in which to understand them. His narrative turns them into small historical vignettes that allow the reader to understand NASA policy, astronaut feelings and what went into the creation of these historic mementos which, he explains, were created purely for the astronauts with no thoughts of collector interest or future value. The book is broken down into five main sections including the Introduction in which the author discusses the background of the medallions and how the Robbins Company came to be involved in the production of the medallions; the Medallions in which he pictures the obverse and reverse of each medallion, explains the symbolism of the crew patch design and gives details of each flight; the Population Census in which he talks about quantities minted, quantities flown, metals used to manufacture the medallions and other, frequently obscure (but fascinating) details; Comparative Analysis of Scarcity, Values and Potential, a fascinating section for all collectors; and his Conclusions in which he discusses how these medallions fit into the overall collection of Space Memorabilia and other collectibles. For the collector of space memorabilia in general or a student of collecting "mystique", this book provides a how-to blueprint. How to discover a small collecting niche, how to analyze it, how to determine its potential and how to determine its future viability. The author did a tremendous amount of original research on this subject through interviews with the original astronauts, NASA employees and Robbins Company officials. To unearth, correlate and put into context facts that, even now, are being lost through the aging process is a momentous accomplishment. Mr. Weinberger is owed a debt of gratitude by every collector of space memorabilia in general, and by Robbins Medallions collectors in particular. He has made time stand still. Michael Orenstein is Senior Buyer and Appraiser, Space Department at the Superior Galleries in Beverly Hills, California. Review by Robert Zane Pearlman, Editor, collectSPACE Part of the challenge of collecting space-flown memorabilia is documenting the history of each item. Had it not been for the government's practice of recording every piece of hardware and equipment, finding this information might have been nearly impossible. As has been the case with items created as commemoratives. Due to the government's own aversion to promoting the flight of souvenir materials, the history of these patches, postal covers and other items considered non-essential - has gone mostly undocumented. Collectors have been left to conduct their own research about these equally rare and historical items. Unfortunately, their success has been limited, governed greatly by an increasing loss of information often associated with the passage of time. In The Robbins Medallions: Flown Treasure from the Apollo Space Program, author Howard Weinberger shares his research surrounding what may very well be the rarest and most desirable of all flown commemoratives. The gold and silver Robbins Medallions were minted exclusively for the American astronauts. Flown as mementos, the medallions were purchased by the flight crews for themselves, their families and friends. As a result of their personal connection with the astronauts, the medallions have been greatly sought after by collectors. However, until Weinberger's findings were published, the full history of the Robbins Medallions had not been told. Complete with large photographs of each of the Apollo commemoratives (both obverse and reverse), this book explains how each of the emblem designs were decided, how many of each medallion were flown, and how The Robbins Company came to create the official souvenirs for the Moon-bound astronauts. Logically organized and easy to read, The Robbins Medallions is highly recommended for anyone interested in astronauts' space memorabilia. Robert Zane Pearlman is Editor of collectSPACE, a Web site that features memorabilia from the conquest of the final frontier. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Howard Weinberger is a financial consultant who has been active in many areas of collecting for 30 years. His opinions are well regarded in the collecting field. Many of his articles on the psychology and philosophy of collecting have been published in a number of magazines. He has been interviewed for radio as a collecting expert. Some of his collections have been featured nationally on Personal FX: The Collectibles Show and in Today's Collector magazine. Ordering information: Order this book directly from the publisher: Toy Ring Journal, PO Box 544, Birmingham, Michigan 48012-0544 USA Cost: USD $ 19.95 + $ 5.00 postage and handling. International orders add $10. Limited production - Only 1,000 first edition books available. |
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