It Life

John F. Kennedy

The Robert White Collection, considered the world s foremost

privately owned assemblage of material relating to JFK s life and

career, to be sold at auction.

This December at New York City s Park Avenue Armory, an auction of unparalleled

proportion and range will be conducted when the Robert White Collection, known to

collectors globally, will be sold. Focusing on virtually every aspect of John F. Kennedy s

life, the range of material is hard to imagine as it extends from JFK s childhood to his

marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, from his early political aspirations to his

mounting successes first as a Congressman, then Senator and finally, President.

Guernsey s, known for producing many of the most popular auctions in recent times, is

honored to be representing a Collection of such importance.

The Collection will be presented December 13 17. The event will be held live in New

York with bidding extended to those wishing to participate in real time on eBay

Liveauctions. A substantial catalogue will be available from Guernsey s five weeks

before the event. Truly massive in size, the auction is being divided into sections in

keeping with the periods of John F. Kennedy s life and career. Just as there will be

significant material relating to the late President s role as a public servant, so will there

be material relating to JFK as a man, a brother, a husband and a father. Objects pertaining

to Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and those close to John F. Kennedy in daily life

and in office will be in abundance.

The smallest of samplings from the Auction would include such artifacts as the passports

used by Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy in the early 1950s, the wristwatch worn by the

President at his Inauguration and two of JFK s White House rocking chairs. A special

Presidential West Point ring, his monogrammed leather wallet, the red, white and blue

hotline telephone and examples of Jackie and JFK s elegant clothing are further

examples of auction artifacts. The Collection is so comprehensive that it even includes

the flags that flew from the Presidential limousine on that fateful 1963 date in Dallas.

Hundreds of unpublished White House and family photographs will be offered side by

side an enormous array of written ephemera ranging from Presidential doodles to JBK

and RFK letters on to such important documents as the handwritten speech the then

Senator John F. Kennedy presented at the 1956 Democratic Convention where he

nominated Adlai Stevenson for President. To be sure, the nearly two thousand lots (many

containing multiple items) offered without minimum reserve will allow bidders at every

level, fascinated with the remarkable political scene of the mid-twentieth century, to

participate.

As a young teenager, Robert White became fascinated with the career of Senator John F.

Kennedy of Massachusetts. By the time JFK became President, Robert was devoting

most of his time to understanding the workings of the Kennedy Administration and

avidly collecting objects relating to it. Robert s many letters to Kennedy cabinet members

serve as testimony to the passion of the young man. Although obviously the assassination

struck a staggering blow to all Americans, to Robert it was almost crippling. Written

correspondence with Evelyn Lincoln, President Kennedy s secretary throughout most of

his political career, helped get Robert through those difficult times. Over the years the

White and Lincoln families built a close friendship around their shared interests. The

friendship extended until the deaths of both Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln in the mid-1990s. As

kindred spirits, Robert inherited the many treasures Mrs. Lincoln saved from her years

with JFK.

Hoping to finance his dream of seeing his now vast Collection embedded in a museum,

Robert sold a relatively small portion of his Collection through Guernsey s in 1998.

Following that sale, Robert was able to achieve his goal as the main body of his

Collection filled eleven galleries at the Florida International Museum. Sadly, five years

later, Robert White suddenly passed away. His unrivaled Collection was returned to his

family where it was hotly sought after by collectors and sellers of historic artifacts from

around the world.

Recognizing the importance of the Collection, the National Archives reviewed the

Collection. Following a year of study the Archives and the Kennedy family requested a

selection of objects from the White family. Recognizing the need to see some of Robert s

Collection returned for public access, the White family were rewarded for their assistance

by the acknowledgement that they were then free to deal with the Collection as they

wished. Today, preparations are actively underway for the monumental auction that lies

ahead.

To learn more about the auction and/or reserve a catalogue (Guernsey s catalogues often

sell out), interested parties should visit the firm s website (www.guernseys.com) or

contact the auction house directly 212-***-****, ********@*********.***).

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