Inverness woman's Apollo 11 moon dust could fetch up to $4M at auction

An Inverness attorney says she hopes Apollo 11 lunar samples she's placing up for auction wind up in good hands.

Nancy Lee Carlson paid $995 during an online U.S. government auction two years ago for the dust collected in a bag by astronaut Neil Armstrong when he became the first person to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

But when the rare souvenir is up for bid July 20 - the date lunar module Eagle landed on the moon - it's expected to fetch way more than what Carlson paid, according to Sotheby's auction house in New York.

Sotheby's spokesman Dan Abernethy said the auction is expected to bring $2 million to $4 million for the historic bag. The auction house says what is labeled as the "Apollo 11 Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag" is the only such relic available for private ownership.

Carlson said Tuesday she hopes a buyer will treat the moon dust well.

"I hope that the buyer is somebody who truly appreciates the historic significance of the bag and that the buyer will be able to be a good steward of the bag for generations," Carlson said.

Carlson sent the bag for study to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and wound up in a court fight after NASA confiscated the lunar samples. Despite NASA's contention the bag was accidentally sold, a federal judge ruled he did not have authority to reverse the transaction and it belonged to Carlson.

Part of the proceeds will be directed to Bay Cliff Health Camp, the Immune Deficiency Foundation and other charities, Abernethy said.

Sotheby's will take bids in person in New York, online and by telephone.