A collection of memorabilia linked to JFK and his family is set to cross the block at Guernsey’s on October 6-7.
The majority of the items come from the collection of Lt. Henry Hirschy, a naval officer who was posted in the White House for the extent of JFK’s term.
The swords were with JFK as he lay in state
Among the highlights is a pair of naval dress swords, which hung in the room where the president lay in state following his assassination in 1963.
They were placed on the catafalque, a wooden structure that held the president’s coffin and had originally been made for Abraham Lincoln’s vigil.
The swords were borrowed from Officer Jack Cutcomb and Hirschy himself.
JFK had been in the US Navy during the second world war. He commanded a patrol boat in the south Pacific.
The swords will be offered separately, with an estimate of $300,000 each.
Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s, told PEOPLE Magazine: “We have these two historic swords representing the body of president Kennedy in the White House following the assassination.
“And we’ve estimated those two swords at $300,000 each apiece. They are matching. They are each well, well documented. And very, very significant.”
There will be a wealth of personal items from Kennedy’s presidency, ranging from a personalised cigar to a transcript of his monumental Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech.
Kennedy’s death sent shockwaves around the world that can still be felt today. We have a stunning original poster from his 1960 presidential campaign.
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