A cigar box once owned by John F. Kennedy was sold earlier this week at auction for $8,250. It was most recently owned by Jack Spangenburg, a former servant to both the president and his younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy Sr.
The box — one of the four humidors given to JFK by then-Philippines senator Ferdinand Marcos in 1962 — was presented to Mr. Spangenburg by Jackie Kennedy as a token of her appreciation for his service to her late husband.
In a signed letter, Mr. Spangenburg explained that when he was working as a butler to Robert F. Kennedy, the president’s widow came over one day and gave him the humidor.
“This is for you, Jack, for the many years of services (sic) for the Kennedy families,” Mr. Spangenburg quotes Mrs. Kennedy as saying in his letter. “I thanked her and was appreciative of what she gave me.’’
The sale, managed by Nate D. Sanders Auctions of Los Angeles, concluded on Thursday, Feb. 23, and opened with a minimum bid of $6,000, according to the auction house’s website. Only two bids were placed on the item, although popular Hollywood gossip site TMZ highlighted the auction on its site in a Feb. 14 story.
Other presidential memorabilia that Sanders Auctions has sold in recent years include a Ronald Reagan soup bowl, sold for $938 in October 2016 and a George W. Bush glass decanter sold for $250 in January 2015.
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