Vanderhoof is now 88 and living in Grand Junction. He has kept the rock on a plaque in his house and didn't think much of it until college students started looking for the moon rocks. On Tuesday a Denver television station called to ask if he had Colorado's.
Vanderhoof joked that he had offered the rock to museums, but no one was interested. Its estimated value is $5 million.
Another set of moon rocks awarded to Colorado was found in storage at the state history museum about a decade ago.