At M.S. Rau, Jewels With Presidential Provenance Have Their Moment
Original article written for JCK Online
In honor of Presidents’ Day (Feb. 17), I wanted to spotlight a few treasures along these lines that have popped up at M.S. Rau, a leading antiques and estate dealer in New Orleans. One belonged to JFK, while the other two were owned by first lady Mamie Eisenhower (as close as we could get, this time at least, to President Dwight D. Eisenhower).
First up is John F. Kennedy’s donkey pin (pictured at top)—an animal that’s an enduring symbol of the Democratic Party.
To verify the the pin’s direct connection to the Oval Office, M.S. Rau is offering it accompanied by a letter penned on White House letterhead by Evelyn Lincoln, Kennedy’s personal secretary. According to Lincoln, the pin was a gift from the president’s brother-in-law Peter Lawford. Though the jewel was originally intended for first lady Jackie Kennedy, it remained in the top drawer of JFK’s desk until the tragic events of November 1963.
