JFK's presidential letter to "The Duce" - Real or Not?

Greetings all-

I'm new here (obviously) and I recently ran across some paperwork that formerly belonged to Henry Ford II (aka "The Duce").

In this paperwork, there were several letters from JFK to Ford while the former was president. Ford was a major contributor to the campaign, plus the president of Ford Motors - one of the largest companies in the world at the time (plus being one of the wealthiest men in the US).

I've looked at as many of the Kennedy autopen signatures that I can find online (the "bible" for Kennedy autographs is sold out, and the author has no more in stock) and this fits none of them. I've researched enough to know that Kennedy autographs are a veritable minefield in the autograph world, so I'm obviously quite cautious with these. Note: the pixelization blocks out Ford's address; it is not on the original document.

My questions:

1) Thoughts on authenticity?

2) Is getting a COA from PSA worth it for these? (JFK authentications are $200 each, so it would be good to know if I'm barking up the right tree beforehand.)

3) Is there a better company to do a COA than PSA for JFK autographs?

Note: my interests in old paper revolve around military paperwork, so JFK autographs are a bit out of my wheelhouse.

Thank you in advance!

Dave

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Permalink Reply by James on January 24, 2023 at 3:28pm

Hi. I’m not new, but I haven’t been on here in over 2 years. COVID took a toll our family both health-wise and financially. And I have major health issues myself separate from COVID. But I saw your post and thought I’d help out.

I have a few Kennedy autographs. I started collecting and studying Kennedy autographs about 9 years ago. Kennedy autographs are probably the most confusing and complicated autographs to understand. There are about 17 different secretarial styles along with, as you noted above, several autopen styles. And then there’s Kennedy’s own contribution to this madness. Kennedy himself had gawd only knows how many authentic versions. Sometimes Kennedy would even combine parts of two different authentic styles to confuse us even more. I know for sure there are authentic versions that are not even in Charles Hamilton’s book on Kennedy autographs.

To cut to the chase, THIS IS 100% AUTHENTIC…..provided it wasn’t run through a copy machine. Otherwise, this was definitely signed by Kennedy himself.

As President, Kennedy signed most documents and letters himself unlike most of his Senate letters in the late 1950s which were mainly signed by secretaries and, in some cases, autopens.

Given the fact that this is an authentic Kennedy signature on White House letterhead, AND the content involves a very famous American, it has great financial and historical value.

This is one heck of a great find! No worries on this one. Congratulations!

As for authenticators, either PSA/DNA, Beckett, or JSA will carry the most weight in the hobby. Is one better than the other for Kennedy autographs? I’m not sure. Sometimes they get it wrong too, but if you put this on eBay with the backing of a letter from PSA/DNA, it will help a lot to get maximum value. People feel much more secure with an LOA from one of those three. Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee authenticity for any autograph, but it helps in the marketplace.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on January 24, 2023 at 3:40pm

James, we missed you. I'm very sorry to hear that you have some health challenges. I hope you feel better soon. Your comments are always welcomed here!

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Permalink Reply by James on January 25, 2023 at 1:44am

Thank you, Terrier! I appreciate that. I just need a magic pill….that’s legal….ok illegal if it works. Lol. I’m glad to see you’re still here lending your wisdom. I know you sure helped me on several occasions. I always appreciated it.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Schwind on January 25, 2023 at 5:25am

Thank you so much for the information! This is definitely very helpful!

Here's another one; this one is neat because it has the date/time received stamp on the reverse.