President John F. Kennedy‘s Air Force One bomber jacket sold for $570,000 at an auction on Sunday. The jacket was initially expected to fetch between $20,000 to $40,000.
Thousands of Kennedy’s personal belongings were discovered tucked away in the home of the President’s aide and close friend David Powers, who died in 1998. Powers’ family uncovered the nearly forgotten items while they were cleaning out the house in preparation for its sale.
The items auctioned included a collection of Kennedy family photographs from the late 1930s, working copies of a foreign policy speech and signed letters from the president to his parents. A birthday card dated May 29, 1963 and signed by his toddler son, John Jr. was also up for the sale.
“The amazing thing about this whole thing is that it shows the personal connection,” Dan Meader, auction appraiser at John McInnis Auctioneers, told NBC. “This is stuff that’s true, it’s pure, it’s right from the family home … right from the president’s best friend.”
November 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.
