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Memorabilia from the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, such as this JFK poster, is of interest to collectors.

 DRLORIV.COM

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

Restored video footage from the groundbreaking presidential campaign of 1960, which featured a youthful and exuberant candidate and his lovely wife making a campaign stop at St. Francis Xavier Church on South Street in Hyannis, Massachusetts, is among the many items of Kennedy memorabilia that have reached the collectors’ market. The footage is sought after by collectors.

Photographs, memorabilia and other collectibles are desirable because objects of the Kennedy era tell the story of one of the most important presidential campaigns and presidencies in history.

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Memorabilia from the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, such as these JFK and Jaqueline Kennedy salt and pepper shakers, is of interest to collectors. 

While 1960s campaign footage in good condition is rare, John F. Kennedy’s run for the White House was rare, too. The 1960 presidential campaign was groundbreaking for many reasons. The 1960 campaign was not only a very close race between Kennedy and then-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. Kennedy’s Roman Catholic religion and his youth made his campaign historic. He was just 43 when he was inaugurated — the youngest elected president in U.S. history. The campaign was also the first time a presidential debate took place on live television. The 1960s campaign changed the way campaigns engaged the voting public.

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During his presidential campaign, future president John F. Kennedy addressed a massive crowd in Lancaster’s Penn Square on Sept. 16, 1960.

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

Now, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum are in search of footage from across the nation of the 1960 campaign, through its “Mapping JFK’s 1960 Campaign” project at lanc.news/Mapping1960JFK.

(During the presidential campaign, Kennedy addressed a massive crowd in Lancaster’s Penn Square on Sept. 16, 1960.)

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

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

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.

With a Ph.D. from Penn State University, Lori Verderame is an antiques appraiser, author and award-winning TV personality who has appeared on the TV shows “The Curse of Oak Island” and “Pawn Stars Do America.” You can watch her “Real Bargains” show at YouTube.com/DrLoriV. She gives appraisal information at DrLoriV.com or call 888-431-1010.

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