The days following President John F. Kennedy [JFK] ‘s tragic assassination in Dallas in 1963 produced several ‘memorable’ items, including a Jack Ruby signed check, original vintage images, and a bloody limo leather.
These items, related to the politician’s shocking death, went up for auction, and a handful of them fetched jaw-dropping five-figure sums.
JFK Fans Drop Significant Sums For Morbid Assassination Memorabilia
Days before the United States marked the 60th anniversary of the JFK assassination, many items associated with the unfortunate incident were auctioned to the public.
One of these notable collectibles was two sizable patches of bloodstained leather cut from the limo where the youngest president at the end of his tenure was shot. Even though the swatches bore his bodily fluids, it did not stop individuals from bidding aggressively for the items until they sold for a whopping $46,865.
Another item that drew in significant sales was Lee Harvey Oswald’s personally-owned revolver, which sold for $31,000, and the bullet nightclub owner Jack Ruby fired at Oswald, which fetched $18,000.
The auction also had the picket fence from the infamous grassy knoll, a focal point of JFK assassination conspiracy theories. Surprisingly, the unique item sold for a significant sum of $13,740.
Yet another intriguing auction item was Oswald’s jail phone call receipt from the Dallas jail where he was held following the assassination. Even though it was unsuccessful, the receipt revealed the late U.S. Marine veteran’s intent to call an attorney in New York.
Due to the historical document shedding light on Oswald’s efforts before he was shot and killed, it fetched attention at the auction.
Other notable auction items were a Yousuf Karsh photographic portrait print featuring JFK and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy [$7,563], Ruby’s business card and stationery sheet [$2,505], JFK’s signature collection of those who knew him best, such as his family, cabinet members, judges, cops, and more [$1,971].
There were also paper clips and rubber bands from his desk in the White House’s Oval Office [$4,038], three rare recordings related to the assassination [$3,336], 12 original news teletype bulletins, clipped and covering the arrest and shooting of Oswald [$1,773], and six original color glossy candid photographs depict President Kennedy at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas [$2,756].
The items were auctioned through RR Auction, with sales closing on November 8. Photos of the items can be seen here.
A Look Into Events Before The Assassination
Amid the annual remembrance of the Harvard University graduate’s death, author Stephen F. Knott uncovered evidence in the archives of the John F. Kennedy Library suggesting that he might have been in danger during an open motorcade in Springfield, Illinois, on Oct. 19, 1962, about a year before his assassination.
The professor at the United States Naval War College seemingly discovered a witness claim that a rifle was seen pointed at the Dallas native from a second-story downtown building during that motorcade. As the academic told Fox News Digital:
“The only thing new that I learned was that there had been a previous near miss, let’s say, almost a year earlier at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which would have been a disaster. President Kennedy visited Springfield, Ill., to lay a wreath at the tomb of Abraham Lincoln and then to deliver a political speech. And while he was parading in an open car through downtown Springfield, a police officer spotted a rifle with a scope on it, emerged from a nearby building under which Kennedy’s limousine was going to pass.”
Adding to the concern, Knott highlighted that JFK was scheduled to take the same route on his way back. In his words, “What made it even more frightening was Kennedy was scheduled to return on the exact same route. And thankfully, this Illinois police officer spotted it.”
It is worth noting that local police arrested a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy after an Illinois Department of Public Safety employee witnessed them pointing a .22-caliber rifle at President Kennedy.
The authorities confiscated the firearm and a box of ammunition. Surprisingly, the duo was never charged with a crime, as they argued that their intention was solely to get a better look at the then-president.
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