The Apollo 13 Franklin Mint Medallions

The Franklin Mint created a special sterling silver medallion for the Apollo 13 mission, with 200 individually serial-numbered examples being struck and given to mission commander James Lovell for him to carry in his Personal Preference Kit.

A Franklin Mint Apollo 13 medallion from Lovell's collection

For some time it was believed that these medallions were indeed flown, as was the case for the medallions produced for Apollo 14, but subsequently returned by Lovell to the Mint to be destroyed.

However, in recent years it was determined that the medallions were in fact never flown and instead were kept by Lovell himself as mementos.

Apart from the serial numbers on the rims, these 38mm diameter medallions can be differentiated from the commercial versions issued by the Franklin Mint after the flight by the fact they show the names of the original scheduled Command Module Pilot Thomas K. Mattingly on the reverse rather than Jack Swigert, who replaced Mattingly just days before lift-off.

Although not flown, these low-mintage medallions from Lovell's personal collection are highly sought-after by collectors, as evidenced by the significant prices they fetch at auction (see annex below).