The U.S. government mistakenly sold a white bag with moon dust gathered during the Apollo 11 flight in 1969. It had held samples of lunar materials, and the dust from the contents still clung to the fibers. A space collectibles expert, Max Ary, was accused of stealing hundreds of artifacts for his space museum. His home was searched in 2003 and the bag was part of the evidence found in his garage. It was used in his 2005 trial when he was found guilty of stealing and selling space collectibles. After the trial, the evidence was sold by the government in the usual way, in a forfeiture auction, and Nancy Carlson bought the bag in February 2016 for $995. She sent it to NASA for authentication. The government learned that the bag was actually used on the Apollo 11 lunar mission, not the later Apollo 17 landing as was previously thought, and told her it was a mistake to have offered it at auction. The government offered Carlson a refund, but she refused it. NASA would not return the bag and the legal hassle began. Now the courts must rule on the case and decide the legal owner of the bag. Mr. Ary was released from prison early and is now working at a space museum.