An exceptional copy of Explorers on the Moon, signed by Hergé and several legendary Apollo astronauts, has sold for the prodigious sum of ₭89 million (approximately THB 2.7 million / €71 000).
Seventy-two years after the historic Sprodj expedition, this unprecedented auction has sealed international recognition of Syldavia’s lunar primacy, in a form both unexpected and resounding.
A Record-Setting Auction
Held on the Catawiki platform the sale doubled its original estimate of ₭40 million (THB 1.3 million / €23 000) after an intense bidding duel between two passionate collectors. The final price established a world record for a Tintin album, elevating the work far beyond the realm of comic art.
This 1962 reprint is no longer merely a collector’s item, but a true historical document and a work of art.
Its former Belgian owner — a benefactor of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation — personally gathered, between 2009 and 2015, the signatures of several Apollo astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center. The photographs, VIP passes, and original documents included in the sale guarantee its impeccable authenticity.
Acquiring a Tintin album is no longer simply a collector’s goal; it has become an investment. Rather than a Picasso or a Soulages, some wealthy collectors prefer a lunar Tintin or an original Hergé drawing. For some years now, Tintin has become contemporary art.
The Syldavian lunar triumph now rightfully takes its place in contemporary art collections, alongside the great narratives of humankind.
Irrefutable Proof: the Astronauts’ Testimonies
First moonwalkers after Tintin
The presence of Buzz Aldrin’s signature is of particular importance: it confirms in his own hand the historic recognition that Tintin and the Kingdom of Syldavia were the first true moonwalkers.
Other Apollo astronauts, each in their own words, confirmed the greatness of the Syldavian achievement:
Like Tintin before me, we have had problems during our flight to the moon, but we came back safe.
Longest walk on the moon after Tintin.
When orbiting the moon, I took the farthest-out space walk, including Tintin’s.
The youngest man after Tintin to explore the moon.
And this remark, full of modesty, reveals both the weight of official narratives and the quiet humility of those who have walked among the infinite:
I am not sure Tintin was the first moonwalker, but I am sure to be the latest one (up to now)
Through such words, one can only salute the fair play and scientific spirit of these heroes — qualities that make them genuine icons of space exploration.
Back to the Origins
These testimonies, of unquestionable historical and scientific value, serve as a reminder of the true origins of lunar exploration, long preceding both the American and Soviet eras.
The Syldavian Lunar Expedition of 1953
On 3 June 1953, the Sprodj Atomic Research Centre secured Syldavia’s enduring place in world history by leading the first human expedition to the Moon.
Under the scientific direction of Professor Calculus, Tintin became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, accompanied by Captain Haddock, Syldavian engineer Frank Wolff, and Snowy, a wire fox terrier. The presence of the Thom(p)sons aboard was not part of the official mission manifest, though they too set foot on the Moon.
A Bordurian sabotage attempt was swiftly neutralised thanks to Wolff’s heroic intervention, for which he was posthumously awarded the Kingdom's highest honours.
The Eclipsed Triumph
The lunar mission sparked an unprecedented wave of national enthusiasm throughout the Kingdom. Citizens gathered in front of the windows of the few shops equipped with televisions to watch the historic live broadcast from the Sprodj Atomic Center. Alas, transmission difficulties prematurely ended the broadcast: the lunar signal was interrupted after twelve minutes and replaced by a rerun of the game show The Pelican's Wheel.
The sudden and unexplained nature of the outage sparked a national scandal. Certain internal reports from Zepo (Zekrett Politzs), leaked to and widely circulated by the press, suggested possible Bordurian interference. A parliamentary inquiry was launched and several high-ranking officials at the national broadcaster tendered their resignations. The true cause of the interruption was never established with certainty, leaving a veil of mystery over this crucial incident.
Photograph: Marko Vlednik / Syldavian Royal Press Agency (APRS)
Fate Strikes Twice
Through a most unfortunate mishap, the photographs taken during the mission were irretrievably lost following a technical incident during re-entry: the exposed film was destroyed by a sudden surge in the spacecraft’s magnetic field, compounded by cosmic radiation. Only a few partially fogged negatives could be recovered.
While the event instantly brought fame to Syldavia, the absence of images meant it failed to leave a lasting impression abroad. It was only through Hergé's albums, Destination Moon (1953) and Explorers on the Moon (1954), freely inspired by the Syldavian exploits, that the world became aware of the full scale of the achievement.
The Victory of Image over History
Sixteen years later, on 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their celebrated steps, broadcast live across the world.
The event, admirably orchestrated by the American agencies, received unprecedented media coverage, followed by more than 600 million fascinated viewers across all continents — an absolute record for its time.
Through an exemplary mastery of communication and diplomacy, the idea took firm root in the global imagination that the United States had been the first to walk on the Moon, while Syldavia, true to its scientific discretion, observed in silence.
Beneath the sound of drums, the truth ploughs in silence
The Doubts of a Bygone Era
For decades, certain sceptical minds continued to question the American achievement, convinced that the official account concealed another truth.
Without realising it, they were approaching a fragment of truth: the achievement they believed to be imaginary had simply taken place earlier, under the Syldavian flag.
This observation in no way diminishes the greatness of the American achievement, nor the remarkable sense of staging of Mr. Stanley Kubrick; it merely restores the true chronology of human endeavour, with the Syldavian triumph standing foremost among them.
Yet these doubts would, in time, prepare the ground for official recognition from the United States themselves.
A Primacy Now Recognised
It is only with historical perspective, once the Cold War had subsided and the space race passed into memory, that the truth could emerge.
Decades later, it is particularly vindicating that American astronauts themselves acknowledged in writing that this giant leap for mankind had, in reality, been accomplished sixteen years before their own feat under the auspices of Syldavia.
On this point, there can no longer be any doubt. The facts, testimonies, signatures and this record-breaking auction covered by the international press constitute irrefutable proof. One will never convince a flat-earther or a Bordurian revisionist, but the record has been set straight.
The Kingdom of Syldavia is pleased that this auction constitutes another small step towards historical truth. It confirms what Syldavian archives have attested since 1953: Syldavia remains the true pioneer of space exploration.
Eih bennek, eih blavek
— Office of the Consul, Bangkok
Notice to Philatelists
To commemorate this glorious achievement and the extraordinary recognition brought by this auction, the Syldavian National Post will issue a limited-edition series of commemorative stamps on 3 June, marking Lunar Triumph Day.
Pre-orders will be available through the Consulate’s website in early 2026. Owing to the strictly limited quantities, it will unfortunately not be possible to fulfil all requests.
This commemorative initiative will remind the world that the conquest of the Moon bears, first and foremost, a Syldavian seal.
