December 2013 Auction Ends Tuesday, December 17th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/17/2013
Blanket from John F. Kennedy's limousine, stowed in the vehicle at the time of his assassination. Navy blue woolen blanket bearing a large embroidered Presidential seal is one of two that were fixtures of the custom limousine, literally built into the doors of the back seat on each side for ready use by chilled passengers. Blanket features a grey plush lining to the reverse side and snaps along the edges for securing to interior door panels. Measures 50.5'' x 41''. Embroidered seal measures 7'' in diameter. Some patches of wear to fabric surface along center, else fine. With excellent provenance, including an LOA from Burke Reilly, the first owner of the blankets after their removal from the limousine, which was dismantled during Johnson's administration. Reilly was the manager of the White House Vehicle Program for Ford Motor Company's Washington Affairs Office, in charge of the care and service of the automobiles in the federal fleet, including ''100X'', the Presidential limousine. His LOA specifies the names of the people he worked and interacted with, including the name of the Secret Service agent that gave the blankets to him. Includes copies of Reilly's Ford ID and his security clearance pass. Mr. Reilly is reportedly still alive today. More information regarding the "lap robes," as they were called, comes from Ford employee F. Vaughn Ferguson whose 18 December 1963 memo to Ford lobbyist R.W. Markley Jr. is housed at the National Archives. This memo reads in part, ''...on the 2nd of December I noticed that the two lap robes had a few blood spots on them, but, more than that, were soiled from handling and required cleaning. The White House chauffeurs were detailed to take the lap robes to Fort Myer for cleaning. These persons remained with the lap robes until they were cleaned and returned the same day...'' An impossibly rare relic from the last moment of JFK's presidency.
John F. Kennedy's Presidential Blanket Present in the Limo & Bloodied Upon His Assassination -- With Impeccable Provenance
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