Apollo artefacts auctioned in New York included a star chart used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and a lunar checklist from Apollo 16 containing cheeky cartoons

Artefacts from the history of space exploration went under the hammer yesterday at an auction in New York. Auctioneers Bonhams presented nearly 400 lots, including many that were used on the surface of the moon.

The auction coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, with over 50 items from that mission on sale. These included the star chart used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to determine their position on the lunar surface, which went for $218,000. The chart comprises two rotating plastic discs 9 inches across, and a velcro patch on the back containing traces of lunar dust.

In a letter accompanying the chart, Aldrin called it "the single most critical navigational device we used while on the moon."

Other high-ticket items were the flight joystick from Falcon – the lunar module of Apollo 15 – and a mission checklist that lunar explorers on Apollo 16 attached to their wrist. The checklist was intended to guide astronauts John Young and Charles Duke through their mission on the lunar surface, but Nasa engineers couldn't help inserting a few cartoons.

One page depicts an astronaut's close encounter with a nude woman; another captioned "Looks Bad, Feels Good" shows Young on the lunar surface, blocking the view of a TV camera with his hand. Both items sold for $206,000.

Not everything was astronomically priced, however, so there were a few bargains to be had. Two lots of charts marking the orbital paths of Apollo 14 over the Earth and moon sold for $112 apiece. A couple of crew emblems from the 1970s space station Skylab sold for the same price.

Although most lots went, a few failed to attract any bidders. A dust brush from the personal collection of Fred Haise, who flew on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, did not find a buyer. Despite being coated with lunar dust, having been used to clean camera lenses during Apollo 14, no one was prepared to pay the asking price of $125,000–175,000.

Some artefacts provide a glimpse into the minds of the men who flew to the moon. Having failed to obtain life insurance for their dangerous mission, Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins signed a set of envelopes featuring the Apollo 11 crew emblem. They hoped that in the event of their demise the envelopes could be sold as a means of financial support for their families.

Aldrin offered his own envelopes for sale in the auction, bringing in a total of $15,860.

The full catalogue of lots sold in yesterday's Apollo auction at Bonhams can be viewed online (pdf) along with the prices fetched.

If you want a piece of Nasa history of your very own, another auction is being held tomorrow in London. International Autograph Auctions will be offering up a variety of space memorabilia, including the flight suit worn by Collins during Apollo 11 which is estimated to be worth £7,000-10,000.