Guess why this simple Joystick has sold 440,000 euros at auction

There are some days, an anonymous buyer purchased the old lever at the auction house RR Auction , for the modest sum of 440,000 euros or more exactly 610,063 dollars. But had he so special to be worth as much?

Nothing to do with the retro gaming . This is the handle used by astronaut Dave Scott to "land" on the moon during the Apollo 15 mission. Lot included handle his case and its cords, and a letter from Commander Dave Scott attesting that the object was used to maneuver the lunar module Falcon during descent and landing.

In truth, we should not talk joystick rather Controller Rotary Scraper (Rotational Hand Controller or RHC). Since the story in the 70s, we understand the rather archaic design of this object, which still retains the brand manufacturer Honeywell, always known in the world of automation.

For that reason alone, the anonymous buyer went to bet 610,063 dollars while the auction, which began in May, began at $ 10,000. In addition to the Rotary Controller Manual, other relics of space were also auctioned on the RR Auction site.