Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan’s three-times-flown $2 bill sells for $91,519 at auction

BOSTON, April 24, 2026 — A U.S. Series 1953 $2 bill carried by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan on three missions—Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17—sold for $91,519 at Boston-based RR Auction. The note was among the top-selling lots in the company’s Space Exploration and Aviation sale, which closed April 23.

Signed and flight-certified by Cernan, the bill is encapsulated and graded by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) as Choice Fine 15. The holder notes its provenance as having been flown aboard Gemini 9A (1966), Apollo 10 (1969), and Apollo 17 (1972), and traces its origin to Cernan’s personal collection.

A signed letter of provenance from Cernan states that the bill was originally owned by his father and later carried by the astronaut on each of his spaceflights. The letter documents its presence during low Earth orbit on Gemini 9A, lunar orbit on Apollo 10, and on the lunar surface during Apollo 17.

“The Gene Cernan three-times-flown $2 bill is believed to be the most valuable $2 bill ever sold at auction in the United States. A true one-of-a-kind in all respects, the price reflects its documented journey across three missions—Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17—as well as the personal story behind it,” said space historian and collector Richard Jurek.

“Richard’s passion for collecting is really the reason this sale performed so well,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. “A collection like this is a joy to sell. Richard’s Cernan $2 bill says it all—three missions, a family story behind it, and the documentation to prove it.”

The note is accompanied by supporting materials, including photographs of Cernan with the bill and a copy of the Apollo 17 personal preference kit inventory listing the item.

The Space Exploration and Aviation sale realized a total of $1,764,603.

Additional highlights included:

• Apollo 15 Command Module flown navigation instrument (“8 Ball”), sold for $375,000

• Apollo 7–16 Robbins medallion collection (10), including eight flown examples, from the personal collection of Edgar Mitchell, sold for $49,913

• Gemini 8 flown American flag from the personal collection of Dave Scott, sold for $47,406

• Apollo 1 signed ‘Type 1’ red-numbered NASA photograph, sold for $46,926

• NWA 12691 lunar meteorite rendered as a sphere, sold for $28,369

• Apollo 14 gold-and-platinum ring with flown lunar relics from the personal collection of Edgar Mitchell, sold for $28,016

The Space Exploration and Aviation sale opened March 27 and closed April 23. Additional information is available at www.rrauction.com.