--- title: NASA Apollo 11 Video Recordings Could Sell for Millions description: Videotapes from Apollo 11 described as "the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk" will be auctioned off. canonical: https://time.com/collections/apollo-11-50/5626388/apollo-11-tapes-auction/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-07-15T12:45:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-02T23:31:29.309Z article:section: Science og:title: A NASA Intern Bought Apollo 11 Videotapes for $218. Now They're Going to Auction for Millions og:description: They are 'the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk' og:url: https://time.com/collections/apollo-11-50/5626388/apollo-11-tapes-auction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a3b0e0248d152/6989fff409208f84754153d1/gettyimages-476974045.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A NASA Intern Bought Apollo 11 Videotapes for $218. Now They're Going to Auction for Millions og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A NASA Intern Bought Apollo 11 Videotapes for $218. Now They're Going to Auction for Millions twitter:description: They are 'the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc90a3b0e0248d152/6989fff409208f84754153d1/gettyimages-476974045.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 15, 2019 # A NASA Intern Bought Apollo 11 Videotapes for $218\. Now They're Going to Auction for Millions > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Julia Webster](https://time.com/author/julia-webster/) ## Julia Webster  This picture taken 21 July 1969 of astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. walking on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (ML) "Eagle" and astronaut Neil Armstrong, during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). NASA no longer knows the whereabouts of the original tapes of man's first landing on the moon nearly 40 years ago, an official of the US space agency said 15 August 2006. This picture taken 21 July 1969 of astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. walking on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (ML) "Eagle" and astronaut Neil Armstrong, during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). NASA no longer knows the whereabouts of the original tapes of man's first landing on the moon nearly 40 years ago, an official of the US space agency said 15 August 2006.NASA—AFP/Getty Images Three reels of videotape from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission described as “the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk” will be [auctioned at Sotheby’s](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/space-exploration/apollo-11-original-first-generation-nasa-videotape?locale=en&clickdate=2019-07-15T11%3A37%3A51Z&ranMID=42390&ranEAID=TnL5HPStwNw&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-vBm2XcOng6r7bhcaI0kbgg) on Saturday, the day of the [moon landing](https://time.com/5621849/moon-return-poll/)’s 50th anniversary. The footage offers “unrestored, unenhanced, and unremastered” images of [Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon’s](https://time.com/5423099/first-man-moon-landing-neil-armstrong-ryan-gosling/) surface and the planting of the American flag, the auction house says. The bidding starts at $700,000, and Sotheby’s estimates they will sell for $1 to $2 million. The footage was among 1,150 reels that Gary George, a former NASA intern, purchased at a government surplus auction in 1976 for just $218, or about $975 in today’s dollars. George didn’t know the contents of the tapes for decades, and didn’t think they included anything of value. He had hoped to sell them to TV stations. It wasn’t until 2006, when NASA admitted the tapes had been lost, that George realized the value of what he had. His tape has reportedly been viewed only three times since 1976. Other, clearer recordings were likely reused or erased at NASA in the early 1980s. The tapes will headline Sotheby’s auction dedicated to Space Exploration, held on July 20 in New York as part of the [50th Anniversary of Apollo 11](https://time.com/5624528/michael-collins-apollo-11/). The Space Exploration auction will open for public exhibition on July 13. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/apollo-11-50/5626388/apollo-11-tapes-auction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/apollo-11-50/5626388/apollo-11-tapes-auction/"},"headline":"A NASA Intern Bought Apollo 11 Videotapes for $218. 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