Out of This World II Tuesday, 18 April 2023, 4pm

904 ♣ COCODE MER Seychelles, 1950 31 × 26 × 15 cm (without stand) The coco de mer, a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is the subject of various legends and lore. Coco de mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. Before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, nuts of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate. The exceptional size and suggestive form of the nut, the circumstances of its discovery, and some unusual qualities of the trees have given rise to several legends. For centuries it was a ‚classic‘ curiosity cabinet item that was a must for any collection. CHF 750 / 1 000 (€ 750 / 1 000) 905* MICHAEL COLLINS Hand-signed Earthrise colour photograph, 1980 Kodak Professional Endura paper 51 × 41.5 cm Cartificate: Novaspace.com, 22 July 2019 Michael Collins (1930–2021) was an American astronaut and test pilot. He was the pilot of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. This large-format colour photograph on Kodak Professional Endura paper was taken by Collins aboard the Command Module Columbia during the Apollo 11 flight in 1969. It shows the Earth rising dramatically above the lunar horizon with a hovering Apollo lunar module in the foreground. CHF 800 / 1 200 (€ 800 / 1 200) | 6 Out of This World | Natural History, Space Exploration & Entertainment Memorabilia