JG Autographs launches 550-lot Kennedy auction online

JG Autographs has opened Part III of its Collecting Camelot: The Kennedy Legacy auction, a 550-lot online sale of Kennedy family autographs, photos, artifacts and ephemera. The auction closes July 21, with top items led by JFK’s personally owned fedora and material from the Benjamin A. Smith II archive.

Why it matters: - The sale brings to market Kennedy family material that collectors have not been able to buy before, including items from the Benjamin A. Smith II archive. - The catalog also includes historically important JFK-related artifacts, photographs and postal covers that could draw broad interest from collectors and institutions. - The auction's top lots carry estimates that reach into the mid-thousands, signaling strong demand for premium Kennedy material.

What happened: - JG Autographs, Inc. opened Part III of Collecting Camelot: The Kennedy Legacy as an online-only auction with 550 lots. - The auction is live now at JG.Limited and ends Tuesday, July 21, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. - Extended bidding begins Tuesday, July 21, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. - Each lot enters its own 30-minute extension cycle when a bid is placed.

The details: - The Benjamin A. Smith II archive sits at the center of the catalog. Smith was President Kennedy's Harvard roommate, lifelong friend and former U.S. senator from Massachusetts. - The Smith family kept the archive privately, and the material has never before been exhibited or offered to collectors. - The sale also features the JFK philatelic collection of Edward Krohn, author of John F. Kennedy Cover Catalog. - Several covers in the sale came from Krohn's personal collection and appear in his reference work. - A very rare Abraham Zapruder autographed cover is included. - Lot 1 is JFK's personally owned gray felt Henry the Hatter fedora, custom-made in Detroit and estimated at $12,000 to $15,000. - Lot 2 is an autographed and inscribed copy of Why England Slept from JFK to Benjamin A. Smith II, estimated at $4,500 to $6,000. - Lot 3 is a sterling silver cigarette box JFK presented to Smith as a wedding gift, estimated at $2,000 to $3,000. - Lot 4 is a two-page autograph letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Barbara Smith, dated Oct. 6, 1991, estimated at $1,250 to $1,500. - Lot 5 is a personal album with 18 original photographs from the 1965 JFK Runnymede Memorial Dedication, estimated at $3,500 to $4,500. - Lot 6 is a commemorative volume Jackie Kennedy presented to Smith with official printed addresses from the dedication ceremony, estimated at $3,000 to $4,000. - Lot 7 is a typed letter from Jacqueline Kennedy to Oleg Cassini, estimated at $950 to $1,200. - Lot 12 is JFK's personally owned Duofold thermal long johns, estimated at $4,000 to $5,000. - Lot 15 contains two blood-stained leather fragments removed from the rear seat of the Lincoln Continental SS-100-X, housed in a crucifix display, estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. - Lot 17 is Cecil W. Stoughton's Air Force One passenger manifest from the Dallas flight after the assassination, listing 41 passengers, estimated at $3,000 to $3,500. - Lot 18 is an Abraham Zapruder autographed First Day Cover honoring John F. Kennedy, estimated at $2,500 to $3,000. - Lot 24 is a bullet and spent cartridge case fired from the .38 caliber Colt Cobra revolver Jack Ruby used to shoot Lee Harvey Oswald, estimated at $2,500 to $3,000.

Between the lines: - The auction mixes personal keepsakes, historic documents and assassination-related material, which broadens the pool of potential bidders beyond autograph collectors. - The Smith archive gives the sale a provenance advantage because the material stayed with one family for decades. - The inclusion of postal history and a Zapruder-related item shows how Kennedy collecting spans several niche markets.

What's next: - Bidders can register and participate online before the sale closes on July 21. - After 8 p.m. Eastern Time on closing night, bidders will need to follow the rolling 30-minute extension rules lot by lot. - JG Autographs is steering buyers to its online catalog at More information.