A stunning collection of John F. Kennedy memorabilia is going up for auction on the Cape on Friday.
The auction, part of the Summer Americana Auction series at Eldred’s auction gallery in Dennis, is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m., according to the gallery’s website. The Cape Cod Times first reported on the auction.
Among the items up for sale:
■ A charcoal drawing of Kennedy with his head bowed, by Aaron Abraham Shikler, who fashioned the piece as a study for his official White House portrait of the president. The drawing has a high bid estimate of $120,000, according to the site.
■ A rocking chair that Kennedy used in the Oval Office, upholstered by Larry Arata and complete with a plaque on the underside of an armrest that reads “President John F. Kennedy The White House One of Three Original Rockers Used In Oval Office Designed by Dr. Janet Travell.” The site notes that some “caning is worn and coming apart,” but the chair still has a high bid estimate of $70,000.
■ Fifteen pens that Kennedy used to sign landmark policies into law, including a 1961 executive order establishing the Peace Corps, an act from the same year that established the Cape Cod National Seashore, and the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The high bid estimate for the pens is $90,000.
■ A gold-colored tie clip Kennedy wore “in the form of patrol torpedo boat PT-109 in water, with ‘Kennedy’ etched into the hull,” the site says. Kennedy commanded such a vessel during World War II and “heroically endeavored to save members of his PT-109 crew after it sank in the Solomon Islands in 1943,” the site says. “The PT-109 tie clips were made in the 1960s and were highly coveted by Kennedy-era officials.” The high-bid estimate is $50,000.
Other items include nine pages of handwritten notes that Kennedy wrote about Vietnam around 1953, a letter opener he used in the Oval Office, his personal stereo and a collection of records, his Oval Office crystal ashtray, his silk scarf depicting bronze donkeys and blue stars, and Frank Sinatra’s invitation to Kennedy’s inaugural ball, according to the website.
Can’t make it to the auction house Friday? No problem. Online bidding is also available.
Josh Eldred, one of the owners of the company, said Thursday in a phone interview that he expects a solid turnout for the auction, which will be held under a tent outside. Some attendees may view it as an opportunity to see a trove of historic artifacts up close, Eldred said, but “there are definitely people who have expressed a pretty significant interest in purchasing the items.”
Eldred said he relishes the opportunity to “touch and feel history” in his professional capacity and said John Schofield will serve as the auctioneer Friday.
More photos
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.