Winter Auction 2016 Closing January 30th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/31/2016
This unique collection of historical artifacts relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is one of the most diverse and impressive we have encountered. Two of the five pieces relate to the President: a lock of about ten strands of the President's hair which was cut at the home of Kennedy's brother-in-law Peter Lawford in 1963 and a small leather swatch of bloodstained leather cut from the rear seat of the limousine the President was riding in when he assassinated. JFK's assassin is represented by a 4 1/4" x 6" registered letter envelope sent by Lee Harvey Oswald from Minsk to his mother in Texas. The envelope is addressed in blue pen by Oswald in English and he has written his return address in Russian. The letter has three Soviet stamps and bears a large postmark stamped "MINSK", the Russian city Oswald called home for over two years. The envelope is laminated in the same style as the other Oswald letters used in evidence before the Warren Commission. JFK's "avenger" Jack Ruby is represented by a 1951 dated check from one of his nightclubs, the "Silver Spur". Ruby has filled out the and signed the check in strong blue pen. The last component of this display is a type written and signed document from Gerald Ford, member of the Warren Commission. The cream colored 6 1/4 x 8 1/2" letterhead is embossed with the Presidential eagle and states: “In 1964, the Warren Commission unanimously decided: 1. Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin, and 2. The Commission found no evidence of a conspiracy, foreign or domestic. As a member of the Commission, I endorsed these conclusions in 1964 and fully agree now as the sole surviving Commission member.” As if to slam the door on any further connivery regarding conspiracies, Ford has signed the his statement in bold black felt tipped pen. The last piece of this display is a 4" x 6" color reproduction of President Kennedy in his limousine moments before his death. This one-of-a-kind display has been professionally matted and framed to 24 1/2" x 25 1/2". A truly impressive collection that ties together all of the players involved in one of history's great tragedies. This display comes with notarized letter from barber Harry Gelbart attesting to the provenance of the President's hair and various articles featuring him as a celebrity stylist. The bloodstained leather swatch is accompanied by documentation from F. Vaughn Ferguson, Technical Service Representative at the White House and a Certificate of Authenticity from John Reznikoff of University Archives.