He repeated this pattern from 1978 (the beginning of space) until late 1981. I will be posting many more from this collection so check out my other auctions. He opened one to play with for his kids, and kept one unopened for display, and another for his other son (as the story goes). When I first got my hands on this, the condition was baggies opened, and pieces poured out into the trays.
The pieces were NEVER assembled and probably never touched. There is NO discoloring with any of the pieces and no brittleness either. The box is the best one Ive ever seen and is most likely the best in existence outside of the Lego vaults. The original tabs have only been opened from the left side 3 times and from the right never. I inventoried the pieces and placed them back into ziplock baggies (by color) and left the astronauts in the small trey as if they were new. The printed piece #3754p01 laying sideways in its special slot, and I have never touched it. Most likely is was never touched since Lego placed it there in 1978. I would never recommend assembling this set, for reasons of lowering the condition value. I have a sealed 493 crater version, but not this version. Thanks for reading my listing.The item "LEGO 493 Space Command Center Near Mint Unused US Version Museum Grade Condition" is in sale since Friday, December 11, 2020. This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Building Toys\LEGO Building Toys\LEGO Complete Sets & Packs".
The seller is "lasvegastoyzintheattic" and is located in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This item can be shipped worldwide.