Here is an interesting item on which to bid on Ebay. Any takers?
Well shoot! I guess the seller thought this item more precious than the rest of the ebay bidding public. Here are the details of the item, cause I am not so sure how long the link will be there that is included above:
John F. Kennedy JFK Inauguration Shirt & Invite
Starting bid: US $2,150,000.00
Item location: San Luis Obispo, CA, United States
Bid to own one of the last remaining artifacts of the Kennedy legacy
still available to private collectors!
This shirt was worn by the newly-elected President John F. Kennedy
on the day of his inauguration — January 20, 1961. The shirt was given to
Kennedy’s personal valet (presumably George Thomas) as the third button from
the collar needed replacing. This button is still missing today. The shirt was
custom-made for the fastidious Kennedy, who was known to have changed clothes as often as fives times a day.
The garment has been examined by Pro Grading — experts in the evaluation and authentication
of memorabilia—and deemed to be genuine, one of the last remaining artifacts available from
the Kennedy legacy.
Passed from private owner to private owner, the shirt was first offered for sale in 1998
and acquired by its current owner in 2006. The shirt has been thoughtfully preserved under
clear acrylic and protected from direct light for at least the past nine years. The shirt
is beautifully mounted in a 42” x 46” x 1.25” black and gilt wood frame with an official
photograph of Kennedy, an actual invitation (itself scarce) to the inaugural address,
and a brass plaque describing the lot from the 1998 sale.
Kennedy’s inauguration shirt is a traditional button-down dress design from Morgan &
Ball in London. Former U.S. ambassador and Kennedy patriarch Joseph fostered both his
son’s political ambitions and a taste for British tailoring. The embroidered collar
label reads “Morgan & Ball (London) Ltd. 53,54,55 Piccadilly London. W.I.” in black
with the initials “J.F.K.” embroidered in red below. The numbers “13293”
are hand-stitched alongside, again in red.