A crystal bowl which once decorated the Oval Office was the top lot at $12,710.
Carved hardwood rocking chair, $10,450.
Online Auction of Kennedy Memorabilia Totals $177,353
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, June 25, at noon, bidding for Sloan’s controversial offering of the Mary Barelli Gallagher collection of Kennedy memorabilia came to a halt after a ten-day, timed online auction.
The sale, which was discussed on NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, CNN, and Fox International News, and made headlines in The Washington Post, reaped $177,353 including ten percent buyers premium.
An original member of the Kennedy staff, beginning with the President’s days in the Senate, Gallagher was involved in the family’s daily life and was the recipient of numerous gifts. She authored My Life with Jacqueline Kennedy, detailing her experiences.
Highlighting the auction was an oblong cut crystal bowl used by President Kennedy in the Oval Office, which realized $12,710 (est $2/4,000). A carved hardwood rocking chair, a gift to President Kennedy from the Dominican Republic’s ambassador, sold for $10,450. A personalized and signed White House etching, a gift to Gallagher, garnered $4,400 (est $750/1,000).
A black alligator leather handbag with a clasp monogrammed “JBK” brought $5,825 (est $500/700). A pair of Mrs Kennedy’s arm-length white cotton gloves rang up $1,100; a personal correspondence basket used daily by Mrs Kennedy to sort her upcoming tasks reached $2,205; and 25 book plates in their original Tiffany box, each inscribed “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy,” fetched $2,205.
