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, Cape Cod, Mass., is among the many items of Kennedy memorabilia that has reached the collectors’ market. The 1960 presidential campaign footage is sought after by collectors as photographs, memorabilia, and other collectibles are desirable because the footage and all the objects of the Kennedy era 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 1960 presidential campaign was groundbreaking for many reasons. The 1960 campaign was not only a very close race between Kennedy and the 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 — only 43 at his inauguration, the youngest elected president in U.S. history — made his campaign historic.
The 1960 presidential campaign was also the first time a presidential debate took place on live television. The 1960 campaign changed the way presidential campaigns engaged the voting public.
The most common footage to emerge from the Kennedy years is footage of the Kennedy motorcade traveling on the streets of Dallas, TX 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 Library and Museum is in search of footage from across the nation of the 1960 presidential campaign in their “Mapping JFK’s 1960 Campaign” project at www.jfklibrary.org and specifically at https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/campaign-of-1960.
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 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. 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 in many ways.
Kennedy collectibles run the gamut from 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 Hyannis and many other objects chronicling the events of the Kennedy presidency and family life.
Antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality, Lori Verderame Ph.D. presents antique appraisal events nationwide and appears on “The Curse of Oak Island” on History Channel. Visit DrLoriV.com, YouTube.com/DrLoriV or call 888-431-1010.
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