The wooden coffin that was supposed to be John F. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's final resting place, will now have a new resting place of its own after a bidder bought it at auction for $87,469.
The coffin was put on the auction block in November by a Texas funeral home owner, who swapped it with Oswald's family for a new one when Oswald's body was exhumed in 1981.
Oswald was arrested in President Kennedy's 1963 death, but was slain two days later on live television by nightclub owner, Jack Ruby.
The funeral home owner had held onto the coffin since Oswald's body was dug up in 1981, in an effort to put to rest conspiracy theories that he really wasn't in the grave. After the body was identified through dental records, it was returned to the funeral home in Fort Worth, Texas.
Because water had gotten into a cracked burial vault and damaged the original coffin, the funeral home swapped it with Oswald's family for a new one.
Lee Harvey Oswald's brother today claims that he is the rightful owner of the coffin, in which he bought and paid for, and that it should have been destroyed by the funeral home. He has asked the court to award him the $87,469 from Nate Sanders Auction House in Santa Monica, California, who sold the coffin, or the return of the coffin from the funeral home that refused to comment with me on writing this article.
Readers, in next week's column, will be answering many of your letters. Have a happy New Year.
Larry Koon is the author of several price guide books on antiques and collectibles. His column appears every Monday on Life. Send letters to Treasure in the Attic, c/o The Marietta Times, 700 Channel Lane, Marietta 45750; or e-mail him at koonantiques@yahoo.com. When writing, send a complete description of the item, along with size, color, any markings on the item along with condition the item is in, and how the item was obtained, and any other information. If possible, send a photograph. Letters will be answered through this column.
