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ot too long ago, alchemy was
a legitimate science, and
Nmany of science’s best known
early names studied the subject before
it branched off to become chemistry:
Roger Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton,
Thomas Aquinas, and Sir Thomas
Browne, among the many.
Two of the best known and most
authoritative early works on the
protoscience of alchemy are attributed
to Sir George Ripley (circa 1415-
1490); 23 copies are known to exist and 22 of those copies are in museums
and libraries, with just one copy in private hands, and that copy went to
This copy of the Ripley Scroll was produced on vellum around 1624, and auction in London at Christie’s auction house on December 13, 2017. The
went to auction with an official expectation between $263,000 and scroll supposedly details the process of how to manufacture the
$394,000. As the only copy in private hands, it understandably Philosophers’ Stone, the means of converting base metals into noble metals
exceeded its estimate with a final price of $781,460. (not necessarily gold, though that became the default goal).

he British sci-fi television series Doctor Who (1963 - 1989, 2005 -
present) may have run for longer, but based on prices fetched by
Tmemorabilia at auction, Star Trek fans are the most prolific and rabid
tribal group of the sci-fi community, and artifacts
that appeared on-screen in Star Trek: The Original
Series are the most valuable.
Legions of Trekkies have seen memorabilia from
the series become the most valuable television
memorabilia of all, and the Type-2 Phaser pistol is
one of the most sought-after of all.
This Type-2 Phaser was screen-used by Mister
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and is now the most
valuable example sold to date at auction. This phaser
sold for $192,000 at Profiles in History on Type-2 Phaser for $192,000 at Profiles in History
December 11, 2018.

cience fiction was a genre on the rise in the 1920s, and the 1920 science
fiction play “R.U.R” by the Czech writer Karel Čapek premiered on
SJanuary 25, 1921. R.U.R. stands for Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti
and the English translation “Rossum’s Universal Robots” introduced the
word “robot” to the English language and a new concept to science fiction
and subsequently, reality.
The Robots described in Čapek’s play are not robots in the popularly
understood sense of an automaton. They are not mechanical devices, but rather
artificial biological organisms that resemble more modern conceptions of
man-made life forms, such as the Replicants in
Blade Runner. Sold on August 14, 2019, this small
book might be one of the true bargains of the
entire year at $906 at Heritage Auctions.
The word “robot” celebrates its 100th anniver-
sary this year. This is one of the few known copies
of the original book. 101 years from now, our
Karel Capek. The science fiction play R.U.R. London, 1923, bet is that it will be worth a fortune, because
sold for $906 at Heritage Auctions
robots will be ubiquitous by then.

his Speed Brake/Thrust Control unit was manufactured by Honeywell for Space Shuttle Speed
use in the Space Shuttle program, most likely for the Enterprise, based on Brake/Thrust Control sold
Tthe date of manufacture – November, 1975. Bearing in mind that space for $1,935 at RR Auction
exploration is still in its infancy, this inexpensive artefact might well be worth a lot
of money a few generations from now, making it
a long-term family heirloom.
The manufacturer’s tag on the bottom, reading:
“Speed Brake/Thrust Control, Rockwell Control No.
MC621-0043-3221, Hon Aero Control No.
CG8033A2, Mfr Part No. CG1073AA03, FSN
NATO N/A, Mfr. Code 94580, Serial No. 0002,
Date of Manufacture Nov 1975.” Sold at RR
Auction on October 17, 2019 for $1,935.

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