Leather swatches from JFK’s limo sell for nearly $47,000
Two bloody leather swatches from the limousine John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 60 years ago in Dallas have sold for nearly $47,000.
The bidding, which was conducted by RR Auction, ended Nov. 8, with the buyer securing the items at a $46,865 price tag. The RR Auction estimate was $6,000 or more.
The swatches, both colored blue but one darker than the other, come from the limo’s seats and were taped together. Their combined size is 7 inches by 3 inches.
Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 23, 1963 in Dallas during a motorcade ride through the city. It was the fourth time a sitting U.S. president had been assassinated while in office.
In addition to the swatches, a letter from F. Vaughn Ferguson was included that provided context and background about how the swatches came to be in his possession. Ferguson was a White House technical service representative whose job was to take care of the presidential limo, which was a black 1961 Lincoln Continental fourdoor convertible with special modifications. In the letter, dated Nov. 22, 1982, Ferguson explained to noted collector Raleigh DeGeer Amyx how he ended up in possession of the swatches.
“Four days after the Assassination the White House upholsterer and I removed this leather at the White House,” Ferguson wrote. “The light blue leather is from the center of the rear seat. The dark blue leather is from the border of the rear seat. The spots on the leather are the dried blood of our beloved President, John F. Kennedy.”
This is not the first time swatches from the presidential limo have landed on an auction block. The RR Auction website has multiple former listings of the swatches from the past year, but none compare to the size — and price — of the one sold last month.
An oblong half-inchby-quarter-inch piece under Plexiglass sold in September for $1,874. A more rectangular quarter-inchby-half-inch cut in a frame sold for $6,504 in July. An unframed quarter-inchby-quarter-inch square sold for $2,436 in October 2022.
The limo was refurbished after the assassination and then used by Lyndon B. Johnson.