Flown Apollo 8 Mission Patch from D. Kent Evans Collection

This embroidered mission patch for Apollo 8 flew to the Moon on the Apollo 8 mission. It was originally in the collection of McDonnell Douglas Manned Flight Awareness Coordinator D. Kent Evans.

Mr. Evans consigned a lot of 19 flown patches to the Superior Auction Galleries Spring 1994 Space Memorabilia Auction. This auction occurred on June 25, 1994.

The collection of flown patches was lot number 319 in that auction. The description in the auction catalog stated, "319. Flown Patches. Lot of 19 different patches including Apollo 1, 7-17, Skylab I-IV (5 different) and Apollo-Soyuz (2 different). All are official hallmarked patches (made by the Lyon Bros. Patch Co.) and all but Apollo 1 were flown on their respective flights. The consignor, a former high Manned Flight Awareness Program official, received them directly from the patch company astronaut representative after each flight. Owner's letter of authenticity included. This is a spectacular, never-before-offered opportunity to get a set of flown patches."

The purchaser of this lot from the Superior auction was Sanabria, Inc. of Loveland, Colorado. Later Sanabria broke up this collection and offered the Apollo 8 flown patch for sale to their customers. The Earth To The Moon Air & Space Museum acquired this artifact from Sanabria.

Accompanying the artifact and on the reverse side of the D. Kent Evans letter is a notarized letter of authenticity from Sanabria. That letter states,

"To Whom It May Concern:

This is to certify that the letter of authenticity from D. Kent Evans, dated July 6, 1994 appearing on the revers hereof is a true and complete copy of the original letter accompanying D. Kent Evan's collection of flown mission patches, which was purchased by Sanabria, Inc. in June 1994. This letter accompanies the individual patch, which was flown aboard Apollo 8 , from that collection.

Sincerely,

Stephen R. Datz President."

Also on that letter is a statement of witness by the Notary Public along with her embossed seal.

The D. Kent Evans letter of authenticity states,

"To Whom It May Concern:

I was the NASA Manned Flight Awareness Coordinator for the McDonnell Douglas from 1968 through 1974.

This is to certify that the set of nineteen mission patches, Apollo 1, Apollo 7-17, Apollo-Soyuz (2 different patches), and Skylab I-IV (5 different patches) were flown aboard their respective missions (Apollo 1 excepted), and that they were personally presented to me by the astronauts after each mission.

D. Kent Evans"