Recently, I was interviewed to discuss the significance and value of newly discovered 1960 presidential campaign video footage of John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.

Restored video footage from the groundbreaking presidential campaign of 1960 — featuring a youthful and exuberant candidate and his lovely wife making a campaign stop at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts — is among the many items of Kennedy memorabilia that have reached the collectors’ market.

The 1960 presidential campaign footage is sought after by collectors; the footage and all Kennedy-era objects tell the story of one of the most important presidential campaigns and presidencies in history.

While 1960s campaign footage in good condition is rare, John F. Kennedy’s run for the White House was rare too.

The campaign was not only a very close race between Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon — it was a nail biter. It was the first election in which 50 states participated, and the last election in which the District of Columbia did not weigh in.

Kennedy was an unlikely presidential candidate. His Roman Catholic religion and his youth — he was the youngest elected president at only 43 years old when he was inaugurated— made his campaign historic.

The 1960 campaign was also the first time a presidential debate took place on live television. It changed the way presidential campaigns engaged the voting public.

The most common footage to emerge from the Kennedy years is footage of his motorcade traveling the streets of Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963, the date of the president’s assassination. Rare footage from that fateful day sold at auction and continues to attract collectors and historians alike.

Now, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston is in search of footage from across the nation of the 1960 presidential campaign in their “Mapping JFK’s 1960 Campaign” project at jfklibrary.org.

Since I appraised many Kennedy items — including personal items belonging to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy retained by members of her inner circle from the early 1960s — I was asked by the TV reporter during the interview if I was surprised that Kennedy memorabilia is still being discovered.

Even with so many Kennedy objects on the market, in public museums, and in private collections, I am not surprised to see more objects associated with this important family coming onto the market for collectors.

The Kennedy family — often referred to as America’s royal family — made important contributions that remain far-reaching today and offered much to impact our national culture and character.

Kennedy collectibles run the gamut: Jack and Jackie salt and pepper shakers; 1960s campaign posters; ceramic figurines of the Kennedy children, Caroline and John Jr.; Kennedy/Johnson cigarette lighters; wicker chairs and other furnishings from the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod; and many other objects chronicling the events of the Kennedy presidency and family life.

 

Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning media personality Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide and appears on Netflix’s King of Collectibles and History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island and Pawn Stars Do America. Visit drloriv.com, watch videos at youtube.com/drloriv, or call (888) 431-1010.

Have questions?

We are just a click away!