A unique piece of the Watergate Scandal came to auction at Nate D Sanders this week.
This lock was one of several “jimmied” open by President Richard Nixon’s men in order to gain entry to the building, which housed the offices of the Democratic HQ.
They planned to install a wiretap, but were caught by security before enacting their nefarious plan.
Watergate complex janitor James Redowners removed this lock after the scandal broke
The management of the complex asked janitor James Redowners to remove this lock (along with several others) when the scandal broke.
He gave it to manager James Herrald, who held on to it for a number of years before selling it for an undisclosed sum in 1997.
This time around it made $62,500, considerably more than the $50,000 estimate.
The auction house describes it as “an incredibly visceral piece, giving a glimpse into the events of 17 June 1972, which would ignite a political maelstrom leading to obstruction of justice charges against a sitting U.S. President, and his subsequent resignation.”
Presidential memorabilia is one of our specialities. Click here to take a look.
As usual, the auction featured an eclectic range of memorabilia.
An Apollo 11 flown miniature US flag realised $53,125.
During the Apollo missions each astronaut was granted a Personal Preference Kit (PPK), a small bag they were allowed to fill with souvenirs to take on the mission.
These so-called “flown” artefacts were intended to be sold later. They’re now hugely popular collector’s items, with demand highest for those carried on Apollo 11.
We have this unique piece of Neil Armstrong memorabilia for sale.
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