Rare NASA and WWI Artefacts Head to Auction

A range of rare historical artefacts, including astronaut-signed spacecraft hardware from NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, will go under the hammer next month in Los Angeles.

Consisting of more than 250 objects, the one-day sale on Feb. 1 at Julien’s Auctions spans a dizzying range of categories, from collectibles signed by the world’s most famous politicians, writers, aviators, and scientists, to war regalia and other military accessories.

From the actual parts of the NASA Space Shuttle program that were flown in space to uniforms and accessories used in combat in the Great War as well as a collection of letters from the brilliant minds of our times, this is one of Julien’s most exceptional history auctions to date,” Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, tells Penta.

A portrait of Albert Einstein with a signed sheet.
Julien’s Auctions

The items span more than 300 years and include artefacts from the first mission to the moon.

“Many of these important museum-worthy objects represent the powerful achievements of the great innovators and trailblazers whose impact helped create the modern age,” Nolan said in a news release.

Lots from some of history’s most iconic space journeys include an original, space-flown rocket booster lid and orbiter wing insulator panels. Also up for grabs is a selection of photographs signed by Apollo 11 crew members Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.

Hobbyists with a focus on military history and conflict can choose from uniforms, accessories, newspapers, and everyday objects from bygone eras. Original World War I items such as a British Army steel combat helmet, a U.S. Marine Corps wool uniform, and a spiked German Pickelhaube helmet all carry presale estimates between US$300 and US$500.

A spiked German Pickelhaube helmet from World War I
Julien’s Auctions

An assortment of literary greats, scientific pioneers, and influential politicians will be represented with signed notes and ephemera. Boldface names include Eleanor Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Dorothy Parker.

Among the more notable examples is a typed and signed Hunter S. Thompson letter dating from 1959, in which the notable author describes his short-lived attempt to earn money by driving a taxi cab and how his mother keeps asking him when he’s going to finish his book. Also available is a collection of eulogies and correspondence relating to the death of John F. Kennedy, featuring statements and appreciation cards from Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, and various members of the Kennedy family.

Other highlights include a Bell X-1 model rocket research plane signed by Chuck Yeager (presale estimate: US$600 to US$800), and a cloche hat from Amelia Earhart Fashions, the 1933 fashion line designed by the aviator to help fund her circumnavigation of the globe (estimate: US$2,000 to US$3,000).

The stock market had a decent summer. Investors are bracing for a bumpier fall.

In the past couple of months, equity investors cheered soaring profits at big companies, shrugged off jitters in the bond market and nudged megacap tech shares back near records.

Now, as the post-Labor Day stretch begins, a number of new challenges lie ahead: ever-shifting odds of an interest-rate increase from the Federal Reserve. Sky-high expectations after a stunning earnings season. The persistent threat of higher consumer prices as fighting in the Middle East drags on.

“You’re moving from this earnings-driven market to this macro-driven market with the Fed, inflation and interest rates in focus,” said Keith Lerner, chief investment adviser for Truist Advisory Services. “It tends to be a choppier period.”

Historically, every major U.S. stock index experiences its worst average return in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has slid an average 1.1% in the ninth month of the year, in data that dates back to the 19th century. The S&P 500 has seen the same average decline—and for every September dating back to 1928, the benchmark ends the month lower more than half of the time.

Analysts caution against reading too much into those seasonal patterns. But in recent weeks, new reasons for investor caution have emerged. One of the largest: the looming threat of an interest-rate increase from the Fed, which announces its next policy decision on Sept. 16.

Chairman Kevin Warsh’s decision to ditch forward guidance and take more of his cues from markets has muddied the waters for investors when it comes to monetary policy. That has left traders scouring Fed governor speeches and economic-data reports for clues on the central bank’s next move.

“There’s going to be a lot of eyes on those numbers,” said John Luke Tyner, head of fixed income and portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors.

The past couple of weeks offered just one example of how frequently those expectations can change. After Warsh struck a hawkish tone during remarks on Aug. 28, the odds of a hike at the Fed’s next meeting jumped from 35% before the speech to 58%, according to CME FedWatch data.

On Thursday, Fed governor Christopher Waller made a case for leaving rates where they are. Interest-rate futures showed coin-flip odds between a hike and a hold. Then Friday’s robust jobs report amped up rate-hike bets once more, back to a roughly 60% chance of higher rates after the meeting.

“Rates have really been driving the car for equities the last few weeks,” said Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird.

That uncertainty comes as an unruly bond market could put pressure on stocks. Treasury yields have marched higher for much of the summer, driven by concerns about rising oil prices, growing U.S. budget deficits and a deluge of tech-company bonds now competing for investors’ cash. Last week, the rout went global, pushing yields to multiyear highs in Japan, Germany and the U.K.

Higher bond yields can drag on stock prices and lift borrowing costs for companies and consumers across the economy.

Rising prices remain the top concern for bond traders, and continued fighting between the U.S. and Iran has done little to ease those worries. The national average price of diesel climbed to a record of $5.850 on Friday, according to AAA. That is up from $3.712 a year ago.

Investors will get more insight on the path of prices this week, with the much-awaited consumer-price index report due Friday and a reading on producer prices Thursday.

With another blockbuster earnings season in the books, some analysts have also warned that any boost from the third-quarter reports due in the coming months could be minimal. Back-to-back quarters of standout profits have raised expectations and made it especially difficult to impress traders. Custom-chip company Broadcom, for example, said Wednesday that it more than tripled its earnings and nearly doubled its revenue. Shares slipped 2.7% the next session.

Many analysts note there are plenty of reasons not to panic. The economy is in impressive shape, thanks to a healthy labor market and the rippling effects of the artificial-intelligence investment boom. Profits are booming at America’s biggest companies. The Cboe Volatility Index has dropped to its lowest levels of 2026. Credit spreads are tight, a sign bond investors aren’t concerned about economic conditions that could hurt companies.

But the mood has shifted from the euphoria that felt tangible when the Nasdaq was notching back-to-back records early this summer. The question, Mayfield said, is whether the fundamentals that have bolstered the bull market so far can stretch the rally into 2027.

“There are more anxieties or uncertainties about the backdrop,” he said. “It does feel like a transitional moment.”

Rare NASA and WWI Artefacts Head to Auction

Investors are bracing for a bumpier fall stock market due to shifting odds of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase and other macro challenges.