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Authenticity is Everything
Kennedy 1955 TLS
Hi, I would welcome thoughts about the authenticity of this 1955 Senator John Kennedy letter. Thanks, Tim
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Kennedy1955TLS1.jpg, 2.4 MB -
Kennedy1955TLS2.jpg, 340 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rfitzz on
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Oh boy, do yourself a favor and take a quick read through my recent 1954 JFK letters discussion. This will give you a basis to begin looking for things that are pointed out in mine that are similar and / or different from yours. To me, based only on what I have learned so far, is the second "e" in Kennedy being attached to the "nn" is, in some people's opinion, not right. Also, the "V"-like "K" in Kennedy is a style that was used much earlier by Kennedy than in both your 1955 and my 1954 letters. I'm curious to hear others' feedback as well. good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Tim H on
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Hey, Thanks for the reply. Yes, I looked through the comments on your letter. The more I look at the books about John Kennedy signatures, the more confused I get. Please compare my June 1955 Kennedy letter with this other June 1955 Kennedy letter that has been authenticated by PSA/DNA and by John Reznikoff at University Archives. Thanks, Tim
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Yes, to me, they appear to be very similar...perhaps signed by the same person. Unfortunately, that person may not be JFK. I'm still very new and have been doing my research. There are many others on here with a great deal more experience and I look forward to hearing their responses. good luck
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Thanks for you replies and thoughts, Rfitzz. Here is another example of a 1955 Kennedy letter, this one written only one day after mine. This one was sold in April 2018 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, TX. To me, all three June 1955 letters look like they were signed by the same person. I would welcome other opinions as to the authenticity and reasoning. Thanks in advance, Tim
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Permalink Reply by Paulrichards on
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I can only add one additional thought or piece of information which does not answer anything definitively but is something to funnel into the equation. It was my understanding that when a letter was signed secretarily, it was usually signed by the secretary that took the dictation or transcription and typed the letter.
here you show examples of two letters that appear to have been signed by the same person but whose initials ( see in lower left hand corner after JFK) are different. I cannot reconcile this easily and I second the previously stated concerns about the Form of the K at this date. Beyond that I am non commital on your letter and I don’t like to guess.
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Interesting theory. Especially since both the Heritage letter and the letter from Tim were typed by "jm", however, the University Archive letter was typed by "kg" and still looks very similar to both of the others. My letters were typed by two different people and signed in very different ways (hopefully, one of them being JFK).
The "V" style "K" in Kennedy still disturbs me though. Again, that was an authentic style from at least 4-5 years earlier, why would it be abandoned for all that time and resurrected later (either by a secretary or JFK himself) ? If I've learned anything so far, it's that I haven't learned anything so far. He made it so difficult by changing his style and having so many others sign for him. Happy hunting...eager to hear more input.
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Thanks a lot for the reply and thoughts! Here's an example of a 1952 cover with a Kennedy signature that was sold at RR Auction in June 2018. This cover has the K in Kennedy that is made starting with a V and followed by a downstroke, as mentioned earlier in this thread. This 1952 cover signature is similar to the June 1955 TLS, but the cover K is not as pronounced as in the TLS. Notice that the signed 1952 TLS that went with the cover has a similar signature with even less of a V used to make part of the K.
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I wouldn't classify these as the "V" style "K"... this appears to be the more accepted, authentic single downstroke with a little loop to begin signing "ennedy". That's my feeling on it...
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The most complete JFK philographic study I have seen was that compiled by Paul K Carr and printed by the UACC. Hundreds if not thousands of facsimiles are shown. But even after reading this, you will still come across examples that will stump you.
i find it easier to deal with JFK as president where his fully mature signature is used —but even here you will find a few surprises. I have come across a vignetted appointment of Senator George McGovern to be a member of the Mount Rushmore Committee signed by Stuart Udall as Sec of the Interior and with what I would call a slightly variant signature of JFK, which nonetheless is clearly him and not a secretary or autopen.
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Thanks for the thoughtful and helpful responses. John Kennedy signatures are a challenge. I hope others will weigh in with additional good information. Thanks, Tim
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As an example of a presidential signature that is worth seeing, check out lot 3014 in the rarities auction from Rrauction.com slated to begin in September.
the signature on this WH TLS I would have considered suspect based on the looping K which I attribute to secretaries, not JFK himself. However this interpretation is countered by the crossed out typed salutation replaced by script “Alex.” If this single word was written by a secretary who also signed the letter, that would be a new one for me as I am unaware of secretaries having modified the salutation—even to personalize.
thus I would be hard pressed on this basis to say this is not authentic even though I would have interest in this item because I do not associate this large loop in the K with presidential vintage for which the overwhelming numbers of incontestable exemplars as president do not show this.
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Here are two Sen. John Kennedy letters from the same day, June 1, 1955. The first letter (to Mr. Chapin) was sold by RR Auction in Nov. 2010 with an RR Auction COA. The second letter (to Miss Sciacca, with a signature similar to my June 13, 1955 letter) was sold in by EAC Gallery in Spring 2014 and by Iconic Auctions in April 2015. The second letter has COAs from University Archives (2014) and PSA/DNA (2015). I would welcome opinions about these two Kennedy signatures from the same day. Thanks, Tim
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