Every day, the news is full of stories about space rockets, the International Space Station, and astronauts’ research and work in outer space. To the delight of the space community and their families, two astronauts are now home from a much longer mission than anticipated. As these astronauts adjust to life back on Earth, the interest in space exploration is on the rise. This renewed interest is attracting attention from collectors of vintage space memorabilia and even mid-century modern toys created during the original Space Race.
A NEW SPACE RACE?
Although there isn’t the same urgency to explore space as there was in the 1950s and 1960s—when countries were racing to establish their presence—today’s advancements in rockets, technology, and scientific research continue to keep the space industry active and engaged.
Alongside these developments are the collectors and fans of space-related items. Artwork, décor, and other vintage pieces from the mid-century period were already becoming popular again, with atomic design motifs and vintage clothing styles coming back into mainstream use.
Many of today’s adults watched the Moon landing live and hoped and prayed for the astronauts aboard Apollo 13. Their memories may contribute to the renewed interest in vintage space memorabilia.
SPACE TOYS OF THE PAST
Movies and television shows often inspire toys and merchandise, as do current events. When World War II ended, the Space Race began in earnest, and it seemed to permeate every aspect of daily life. From the news reports to children’s entertainment, toys, and games to home décor and styles, depictions of space, rockets, planets, and stars were everywhere. That interest is gaining again, and vintage items are the OGs of space collectibles.
Toys remain popular collectibles because they are bits of our past that can transport us to those easy childhood days when anyone could be an astronaut, a cowboy, or a superhero. Today’s children don’t usually know about Matt Mason, but their parents do. For instance, the Barbie movie sparked an entirely new merchandise collection while also rekindling interest in vintage Barbies.
Cassie Sturdivant, owner of Mud Puddle Toys in Marblehead, MA, said that she gets a lot of customers in her store, including children interested in space and astronomy. They are focused on space facts rather than historical happenings, but space is a hot toy genre now. “Mostly, kids ask about toys like planet models and will often share facts like how big Venus is or how far away the moon is.” Perhaps in fifty years, when those kids look back at the toys they owned, if they are space fans, it will be about the geography of space or why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.
When children were not playing with their space toys, toy companies and food brands carried out the theme in Halloween costumes, lunch sets, and cereal box prizes. Vintage space fans can still find some of these items at yard sales or estate sales.
HISTORICAL SPACE ITEMS
Toys from the past will always hold value as collectibles. Similarly, in the realm of space, there will always be collectors, history enthusiasts, and space fans eager to preserve artifacts from the early days of space exploration. Just as some people today are collecting stamps, commemorative coins, and other items that could become treasures for future collectors, during the early era of space travel, everyone wanted to have something related to space.
Collectors who want to own ephemera like newspapers with front-page stories about stellar moments of space travel, such as the Moon landing of Apollo 11, the technical issues aboard Apollo 13, or the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger, can usually find magazines, newspapers, and other publications printed at the time of those events.
Pickers and fans can find some news articles about space events at affordable prices. Other bits are rare and sell for much higher prices, but they are seldom found at estate sales or “in the wild” but are part of private collections, sometimes those of the astronauts.
Vintage shops or estate sales are good choices for looking for these materials. Buyers need to be aware, however, that some originals have been reprinted, especially around the anniversaries of the moon landing or other missions. It is essential to know if they are purchasing a reprint or an original.
SPACE ITEMS FOR THE HOME
Atomic design was the hot trend during the 1950s and 1960s, so many homes had rocket-shaped cocktail shakers, starburst design clocks, and other items that evoked the sleek, aerodynamic design of the spacecraft at the time. Even large items like cars and furniture would have design elements with a futuristic look.
Since smoking was much more common then, ashtrays, lighters, and cigarette boxes with space motifs were popular. The children in a home would have their space toys, including helmets, board games, and model rockets, but mom and dad would also want to remember the advances in spaceflight since, at the time, space was truly “the final frontier.”
THE FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL
Between the rise of commercial space flight and the plight of the stranded astronauts who just got home after “working late,” there is a renewed interest in space exploration. Plans are underway to make a crewed mission to Mars a reality, so perhaps in a few years, history will show families gathered around a television (or, more likely, their phones or laptops), watching in real-time as a crew explores the red planet.
In the meantime, vintage items from the early days of space travel are trending. Collectibles related to space include a variety of genres, from coins and stamps to toys, clothing, and items for the home. For those who want to remember the history of space flight, there’s certainly enough memorabilia to create a collection that goes “to infinity and beyond.”
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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