RR Auction to Offer The World’s Largest Space-Flown Currency Collections in April 2026 Space Auction

Apollo 13 Flown $1 Dollar Bill, Signed by James Lovell, Fred Haise, Jack Swigert, and Ken Mattingly.

Boston, MA —RR Auction announced today that it will present the Richard Jurek Space-Flown Numismatic Collection as a featured highlight of its April 2026 Space Exploration Auction, including one of the largest personal collections of space-flown paper money and numismatic items.

Curated over more than 25 years by noted space author, collector, and numismatist Richard Jurek, the collection includes almost 100 lots of individual space-flown numismatic and related items, many of them unique or one-of-a-kind, spanning the entirety of US human spaceflight, including paper money, gold coins, silver coins, and commemorative medallions flown in full on key, historic flights.

Among the centerpiece lots of Jurek’s space-flown numismatic collection are exceptionally rare $2 bills flown in space as part of his virtual “Jefferson Space Museum” collection, which was featured in the award-winning film “The Two Dollar Bill Documentary”. While flown Robbins and flightline medallions are prized among serious collectors and generate strong auction prices depending on condition and provenance, space flown paper money and coinage are even rarer still, with many such items being limited to being either singular or in low single digit populations and demanding strong hammer prices commiserate with their rarity and cross-over appeal to both space artifact collectors and numismatists alike.

A select few highlights from across the paper money portion of the collection include the following, with a link to the auction lot:

A $1 bill flown aboard Joe Engle’s historic X-15 Flight 138 in June, 1965, in which Engle received his USAF astronaut wings. This is the only known bill of any denomination flown on an X-15 flight that has been made available for private collectors. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351273507405059-x-15-flight-138-flown-1-dollar-bill-signed-by-joe-engle-pmg-vf-25/?cat=0
A large format, 1917 $2 bill “horse blanket” flown aboard Gordon Cooper’s Mercury-Atlas 9 “Faith 7” mission in homage of the 22-orbit goal of the flight. This bill, the only known $2 bill flown aboard this flight, is further enhanced by having been flown inside his space suit pocket for the duration of the mission. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351271507405061-mercury-atlas-9-faith-7-flown-2-dollar-bill-signed-by-gordon-cooper-pmg-vf-30/?cat=0
Two $2 bills, signed and cut in half by Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper from Gemini V in 1965, from the private space collection of legendary PAD Leader Guenter Wendt, in which one half of the bills flew as part of an astronaut “gotcha”. It is a singular, unique, flown assemblage. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351271807405099-gemini-5-flown-2-dollar-bill-halves-signed-by-charles-conrad-and-gordon-cooper-for-padleader-guenter-wendt/?cat=0
A $1 bill flown aboard Apollo 13 signed by all four Apollo 13 crew members, including Ken Mattingly. This bill is also the only known flown $1 bill signed by Jack Swigert with his full, formal signature as “John L. Swigert, Jr.”. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351273607405268-apollo-13-flown-1-dollar-bill-signed-by-james-lovell-fred-haise-jack-swigert-and-ken-mattingly/?cat=0
An exceedingly rare, US $20 bill flown aboard Apollo 15, signed by the crew, and includes a flight certification letter from Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden on vintage NASA stationery. Worden carried just 4 $20 bills on this flight, and they are rarely seen at auction. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351273807405329-apollo-15-flown-20-dollar-bill-signed-by-dave-scott-jim-irwin-and-al-worden/?cat=0
A $2 bill flown aboard Apollo 16, signed by the crew and flight certified by moonwalker Charlie Duke. This is the only known piece of flown currency from Apollo 16 to have appeared in a public auction to date. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351272007405348-apollo-16-flown-2-dollar-bill-signed-by-john-young-charlie-duke-and-ken-mattingly-pmg-cu-64/?cat=0
A $2 bill carried by Gene Cernan on all three of his spaceflights, including into Earth orbit on Gemini IX, into Lunar orbit on Apollo 10, and onto the lunar surface on Apollo 17. This bill is a true rarity, a one-of-one artifact representing the full arc of not only Gene Cernan’s career, but also of the golden age of US spaceflight. This is the only US paper money flown on the last Apollo lunar landing mission, and it is also the only known piece of currency flown on multiple lunar space flights during Apollo. Cernan discussed this bill and its emotional, personal history and meaning in a rare interview in 2010. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351272107405378-gemini-9-apollo-10-and-apollo-17-lunar-surface-flown-2-dollar-bill-from-the-personal-collection-of-gene-cernan-pmg-cf-15/?cat=0
A $2 bill flown aboard STS135, the last space shuttle flight, and carried within a letter to Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutayev aboard the International Space Station. It is the first time a flown shuttle bill has been available at auction. The auction also includes a $1 dollar bill flown aboard STS105 (Discovery) and STS108 (Endeavor) by Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Dezhurov. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351272507405473-sts-135-flown-2-dollar-bill-signed-by-aleksandr-samokutyaev/?cat=0
A $100 dollar bill flown aboard the International Space Station, one of the largest US dollar bill denominations to fly into space. The ot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351273907405583-soyuz-tm-30mir-28-flown-100-dollar-bill-signed-by-sergey-zalyotin-and-aleksandr-kaleri/?cat=0

The auction also features historically significant flight-certified currency used by international aviation authorities to document and validate world spaceflight records. As featured in an article titled “Why Alan Shepard Carried A Dollar Bill On His Mercury Flight” for Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, currency was used as a form of unique certification for space flight records during Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Most of these historic bills, which served an actual mission function rather than being a personal souvenir, reside within the Smithsonian. Only a small number remain in private hands.

This auction will feature two such bills from Jurek’s amazing collection:

A $1 bill used to certify Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper’s space flight duration records aboard Gemini V – the first space flight record to beat the Soviet Union in a formal record class for the first time during the great space race. As such, this bill attained tremendous media attention, appearing in newspapers around the world and even appearing on the popular TV show “To Tell The Truth” post-flight. This bill also comes with a complete archive associated with its flight from the NAA Official who oversaw the certification of this flight’s international space flight duration records. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351272807405100-gemini-5-flown-1-dollar-bill-signed-by-charles-conrad-gordon-cooper-and-naa-certifying-official-walter-wentz/?cat=0
A $1 bill used to certify the space flight records of Apollo 9, which is just one serial number off from one of the other two bills flown on this flight that are now part of the Smithsonian’s private collection. This bill comes with a complete archive of research, including original memos from the Smithsonian and the NAA discussing the role of the bills in recording space flight records. The lot for bidding can be found here: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351272907405163-apollo-9-flown-1-dollar-bill-signed-by-dave-scott-rusty-schweickart-and-jim-mcdivitt-from-the-collection-of-naa-certifying-official-robert-dillaway-pmg-cu-64/?cat=0

Of course, this auction also includes space flown coins, such as a Mercury dime recovered by Curt Newport from Gus Grissom’s Liberty Bell 7 sunken spacecraft or a US $2.5 dollar gold coin flown aboard Gemini IV by mission commander Jim McDivitt, as well as Robbins and Flightline medallions from the personal collections of various famous astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, John Young, Tom Stafford, Edgar Mitchell, Jack Swigert, and Pete Conrad.

Flown $2.5 Gold American Indian head coin on Gemini IV: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351278807405095-gemini-4-flown-2-indian-head-gold-coin-from-the-personal-collection-of-jim-mcdivitt/?cat=0

Flown Gold Cestia “Coin” aboard Mercury Faith 7: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351274707405101-gemini-5-flown-one-celeston-gold-coin-from-the-personal-collection-of-gordon-cooper/?cat=0

Flown 1945 Mercury Dime on Liberty Bell 7: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/351278907405063-liberty-bell-7-flown-mercury-dime/?cat=0

155 lots from Jurek’s personal collection will be featured in April, including rare signed photos, documents, and letters, as well as other space-flown artifacts such as flags, space suit patches, cue cards, checklists, and many other rare and unique personal space artifacts and mementos.

Bidding opens worldwide from now until April 23, 2026.

Richard Jurek Space-Flown Currency Collection RR Auctions

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