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The piece was given to Neil Armstrong as a gift from Parisian jeweler Cartier when he returned from the moon mission. It is one of three that were made. The other two were given to Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
According to the Associated Press report, NASA agent Joseph Gutheinz Jr. believes those responsible for the theft are probably not looking to sell the rare piece as a collectible worth millions of dollars. Gutheinz said a collectibles thief would have targeted the relatively large moon rock at the museum, which could have easily been smuggled out of the country and sold for millions to a collector, according to AP’s report.
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"Either they didn't have easy access to the moon rock, or they weren't into collectibles," Gutheinz said of the thief or thieves. "They were into turning a quick buck."
The FBI and the Ohio BCI unit are assisting Wapakoneta police in the investigation.
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Police in Wapakoneta are investigating after someone broke into the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum and stole a rare scaled-down replica of the 1969 Lunar Excursion Module that landed on the moon.
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A burglary alarm at the museum, 500 Apollo Drive, alerted police of the burglary around midnight on Friday, according to a release from Wapakoneta police.
Officers discovered someone broke into the museum and stole the sold gold replica of the lunar module, which stands 5 inches tall and about 4.5 inches wide. Wapakoneta police released a photo of the piece with the report of what happened.
"This piece is very rare as it was presented to Neil Armstrong in Paris, France shortly after the moon landing," according to police.
The piece is one of only three that were made, one for each of the astronauts who completed the mission, police said.
The FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisting Wapakoneta police in the investigation.
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