Lot 610

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Description:

A chilling relic of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, two small pieces of blood-stained leather from the rear seat of the Lincoln Continental in which he was riding when he was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The approx. 1/4" x 1/4" pieces of royal blue leather are contained within an antique 6" long rosewood and steel crucifix which swivels open to reveal the relics within, seated at either end of the crossbar. There is also a metal and glass traditional Catholic reliquary within, damaged slightly, containing what appears to be a relic of St. Francis and St. Sepul[?] but both names are partially obscured. The pieces of leather, once part of a larger segment, was cut from limousine ''SS-100-X'', the customized open-air limousine that was lengthened, reinforced, and even had the seat raised so onlookers would be afforded a better view of the President. Following the assassination, F. Vaughn Ferguson, the Technical Service Representative at the White House responsible for the presidential automobiles, was directed by the Secret Service to clean the limousine and get it ready in case the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, wanted to use it to attend the funeral. When Ferguson arrived at the garage, he found parts of the limo dismantled and the bloodied leather seats ripped out, the result of an FBI search for bullet fragments. He worked throughout the weekend to get the car ready, but President Johnson didn't use it, and the auto was then shipped to custom auto body firm Hess & Eisenhardt in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ferguson kept some of the ripped-out leather as a memento, and the lot includes a copy of a typed letter signed from Ferguson, on White House letterhead, which reads in part, ''...The leather, light blue and dark blue, is from the automobile in which John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, was Assassinated...Four days after the Assassination the White House upholsterer and I removed this leather at the White House. The light blue leather is from the center of the rear seat. The dark blue letter is from the border of the rear seat. The spots on the leather are the dried blood of our beloved President, John F. Kennedy...'' Ferguson's limousine leather was acquired directly from him by collector Raleigh de Geer Amyx, owner of the Amyx Collection of Presidential Memorabilia. Part of it was then sold at auction in California where it was obtained by our consignor. Included also are photos of Ferguson, and the car seat just after the assassination. Our consignor placed the small sections of the seat into the crucifix and had it blessed, and the lot includes photographs of the cross and the original leather segments, the blessing of the relics, and a newspaper article about Ferguson.

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Shipments are sent via USPS Priority, USPS International Priority, DHL (for most overseas shipments) or FedEx Ground at the auctioneer's option, signature is always required, unless other arrangements are made. Handling and shipping charges will be added to the invoice in one entry. Buyers should be aware that large, framed, fragile or odd shaped items can incur substantial shipping and packing charges. International shipments are invoiced by DIMENSIONAL weight, not the item weight. Please contact us for an estimate before bidding NOTE: Large, heavy or bulky items may not be shipped by the auctioneer - arrangements for shipping of these items via a third-party shipper may be arranged through the auction house. Customers who supply their own courier account number will still be charged a handling fee. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipments after receipt of payment due to the high volume of packages being shipped.

February 19, 2019 10:00 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000