JFK rocking chair fails to sell at auction
Published June 8th, 2006
A rocking chair that once belonged to President Kennedy failed to sell at auction, a spokesman for the auctioneer said.
Bids for the chair, which researchers believe was a gift to Kennedy from the leader of Pakistan, did not reach the owners’ minimum asking price of $75,000 at Wednesday’s auction, said John Petty, a spokesman for Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas.
The chair will continue to be available for one week in an after-auction sale on the auctioneer’s Web site, Petty said.
Kennedy used rocking chairs because doctors told him they would help ease pain in his bad back. Several of his rockers have sold at auction, including a pair at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis estate auction 10 years ago that sold for $453,000 and $442,500. Prices varied depending on when and where the chairs were used.
A 1963 photo shows the Pakistani chair in Kennedy’s bedroom at the White House. Officials had hoped it would bring bids up to half a million dollars.
