Rare NASA lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission is up for auction

Particles of lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission are up for auction this month.

Particles of lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission are up for auction this month.

Bonhams, the auction company in charge of the sale, estimated the sample to be worth between US$800,000 and $1.2 million.

It's the only known lunar dust sample from Apollo 11 that can legally be sold, making it difficult for the auction house to estimate its value, according to Bonhams specialist Adam Stackhouse.

To determine the price range, Stackhouse looked at the other few lunar dust samples that have been sold as well as the significance of the historic event from which it originated.