A rocking chair used by president John F. Kennedy at the White House and two flags from his office drew more than $500,000 from a collector, Heritage Auctions said Sunday. They were among some 228 items linked to the former president put under the hammer late Saturday in Dallas, Texas, on the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination in that city.
The two flags - an American flag and one with the presidential seal - were sold for $425,000, four times their pre-auction estimate, Heritage said in a statement. The rocking chair sold for $87,500, also well above the pre-auction estimate of $50,000.
The items were owned by Dean William Rudoy, a volunteer in Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign who collected memorabilia of the slain president over the past 50 years.
The flags and rocking chair were bought by a collector from the US Southwest who "thought it important that these two lots stay together," said Tom Slater, historical auctions director at Heritage.