Gemini 11

The Gemini 11 embroidered patch is clearly visible on Gordon's spacesuit in the detail from S66-50772 shown on the left.

The same patch design is seen in the photos taken of Gordon during the suiting-up for the mission itself as shown below.

The Crew Patch

Gemini 11 Crew Patch

Worn by crew?

Yes. The crew wore these patches on their space suits during the mission.

Flown?

Yes. Worn on space suits and carried as souvenirs.

Manufacturer:

Unknown.

Distribution:

Likely limited to the crew and NASA.

Dimensions:

3 x 4½" / 76 x 113mm

Type:

Partially embroidered on blue twill. Stitched border with cut edge.

Scarcity:

Extremely rare. Only four unflown examples sold in recent years.

Value:

Unflown examples have sold recently for between $516 and $1038^[1].

The Gemini 11 Crew Patch has a background in a lighter shade of blue than any of the replicas.

The unusual appearance of the back of this patch indicates that it was likely produced by the same manufacturer as the Gemini 5 Crew Souvenir patch, the GTA-6 Crew patch, and the Gemini 7 Crew Souvenir patch.

Other Embroidered Mission Patches

Unknown manufacturer patch [GT11UNK1]

Worn by crew?

No.

Flown?

No.

Manufacturer:

Unknown.

Distribution:

Unknown.

Dimensions:

3 x 4¼" / 75 x 110mm

Type:

Partially embroidered on blue twill. Stitched border with cut edge.

Scarcity:

Unknown.

Value:

An example sold in 2020 for $2288^[3]

This patch, identified by Liem Bahneman in 2020, is very similar in overall appearance to the Crew Patch. Indeed, it is so similar that it may be a pre-production sample. However, there are a number of distinct differences that are beyond the usual variation between production runs of the same design.

The most visible difference is that the star at the top is centered. The back of the patch is also regular bare cloth where the crew version has a distinctive thin white cloth backing.

More subtle differences include: the gold flight paths being executed as single running stitches rather than chain stitches; the Gemini capsule aft section being executed with horizontal fill with an extra segment at the rear; the left and right stars being more carefully-executed; subtle differences in the land masses on the Earth; and the surround of the astronaut's helmet being more of a simple ring on this version.

AB Emblem 2010 Replica patch

Worn by crew?

No.

Flown?

No.

Manufacturer:

A-B Emblem

Distribution:

Available commercially.

Dimensions:

3x 4¼" / 77 x 110mm

Type:

Partially embroidered on twill. Stitched border with cut edge.

Scarcity:

Limited production run.

Value:

On sale at approx $7.

A high quality modern replica of the Gemini 11 crew patch, produced by AB Emblem in 2010 in collaboration with Gene Dorr.

AB Emblem souvenir patch

Worn by crew?

No.

Flown?

No.

Manufacturer:

A-B Emblem.

Distribution:

Sold commercially.

Dimensions:

Approx. 3" / 75mm.

Type:

Partially embroidered on black twill. Merrowed edge with 'tail'.

Scarcity:

Common.

Value:

Minimal value.

The standard AB Emblem souvenir version of the mission patch is much broader than the real thing.

Eagle One Aerospace Replica patch

Worn by crew?

No.

Flown?

No.

Manufacturer:

Eagle One Aerospace / Cargo Bay Emblems.

Distribution:

Was available commercially.

Dimensions:

Approx 4½" / 114mm high

Type:

Partially embroidered on black twill. Stitched border with cut edge.

Scarcity:

Uncommon.

Value:

Unknown.

A fairly accurate replica produced in the late 80s by Eagle One Aerospace. The most noticeable differences include the star at the top (the real thing has an elongated beam to the left) and the fact that the star at the lower left touches the spacecraft on the replica.

AB Emblem 40th Anniversary patch

Worn by crew?

No.

Flown?

No.

Manufacturer:

A-B Emblem

Distribution:

Was available commercially.

Dimensions:

3⅞ x 4⅜" / 98 x 111mm

Type:

Partially embroidered on blue twill. Merrowed edge.

Scarcity:

Uncommon.

Value:

Unknown.

A 40th anniversary version of the Gemini 11 crew patch, produced by AB Emblem in around 2006.

Footnotes

[1] Examples of unflown crew patch sales:
    Lunar Legacies Space Auction lot no. 120 Mar 14, 2009 sold at $780.50 (inc buyer's fees).
    eBay item no. 120417524122 May 14, 2009 sold at $515.99
    Lunar Legacies Space Auction lot 102 Feb 19, 2011 sold at $862.50 (inc. fees) [on jacket with Martin Co. patch]
    Goldberg Space Auction lot no. 1103 Jul 10, 2011 sold at $590 [velcro-backed, ex Al Rochford, suit tech]
    eBay item no. 360505524006 Nov 4, 2012 sold at $69.99 [warped]
    eBay item no. 261439632253 Apr 1, 2014 sold at $385 [buy-it-now]
    RR Auction lot 366 Apr 22, 2014 sold at $530.43 (unflown, mounted with Conrad ISP)
    eBay item no. 141693234901 Jun 14, 2015 sold at $10 [buy-it-now]
    eBay item no. 361485334700 Feb 23, 2016 sold at $485 [best offer accepted]
    eBay item no. 281799361444 Feb 23, 2016 sold at $420 [best offer accepted]
    RR Auction lot 6109 Apr 21, 2016 sold at $1037.58 (unflown, ex-Guenter Wendt)
    American Space Museum Auction lot 308 Feb 20, 2021 sold at $660
    eBay item no. 204200572969 Jan 4, 2023 sold at $299.99 [best offer accepted]
    American Space Museum auction lot 193 May 3, 2025 sold for $625

[2] Examples of FLOWN crew patch sales:
    Heritage Auctions September 21, 2007 lot 2584 at $5078.75 (inc buyer's fees) FLOWN patch
Bonhams Space Auction Jul 16, 2009 Lot 80 at $5490 FLOWN by Conrad.
    RRAuction Nov 29, 2012, Lot 196 at $2,742 (FLOWN).
    Bonhams Space Auction Nov 5, 2020 Lot 89 at $3,570 (FLOWN by Conrad).
    Heritage Auction Dec 6, 2024 Lot 50026 sold at $5,000 [FLOWN by Conrad]

[3] Examples of Gemini 11 Unknown manufacturer patch [GT11UNK1] patch sales:
eBay item no. 274426271994 Jul 19, 2020 sold at $228.49