Please provide verification code The most valuable and historic lot is President John F. Kennedy's rocking chair from Air Force One (Lot #22). The chair was gifted by Jackie to brother-in-law and "Rat Packer" Peter Lawford. He asked for the chair knowing that it was the last chair JFK had sat in before his death. Jackie had the chair removed from the Presidential plane and shipped to Lawford, who for the rest of his life kept the chair prominently displayed in the game room of his Santa Monica home. Lawford's fourth wife Patricia has signed a two-page statement relating the story of the chair as told to her by her late husband. The chair, manufactured by the P&P Company of Asheboro, NC measures approximately 44 inches in height and 27 inches at its widest, the woven seat 22 x 17 inches. Two of JFK's other rocking chairs each sold for more than $400,000. "This museum-quality artifact is truly historic and we are honored to be offering it for sale," said Ken Goldin, Founder of Goldin Auctions.
"Presidential memorabilia, whether it be personal artifacts, signed documents or even autographed baseballs is always a favorite of collectors. We are pleased to be offering a wide selection of these unique items at a variety of price points for any collector." Several other JFK-related lots include: Lot #1527 - 1961 LIFE Magazine Inauguration Special Issue signed by JFK and personalized to Betty Proxmire; Lot #1529 - A Piece of wood fence from the Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza; Lots #1534-1535 - Lee Harvey Oswald's Wedding Suit and Overcoat; Lot #1526 - JFK Signed Senate Memorandum dated July 30, 1954. The auction also features several rare original newspapers that reported historic presidential news including the most famous newspaper in American history. Lot #1629 - Dewey Beats Truman Chicago Tribune (Nov. 3, 1948) - the most famous newspaper ever issued that published the wrong results of the 1948 Presidential election; Lot #1625 - Lincoln Assassination New York Times (Apr. 15, 1865);
Lot #1616 - George Washington Death Newspaper (Columbian Centinel Dec. 28, 1799) - Incredibly the newspaper was published 2 weeks after his death and featured just a small article. Also up for bids are several signed letters and documents from several Presidents including: Lot #1656 - Harry S. Truman signed and framed display with three signed items including a $1 Bill; Lot #1615 - Abraham Lincoln signed & unused four-language sea letter (French, Spanish, English & Dutch); Lot #1613 - 1790 Thomas Jefferson personal hand-written and signed letter during his term as George Washington's Secretary of State And finally, the two current candidates are represented with several items including: Hillary Clinton - Lot #1661 signed photo of her being sworn in as Secretary f State and an autographed baseball; a signed copy of her book Hard Choices. Five lots of Donald Trump memorabilia include: an autographed NY Mets jersey with the name Trump #45; Lot #1535 an autographed New Jersey Generals mini-helmet;
and a signed copy of People magazine.The humble rocking chair may be associated with knitting grandmothers and nursing mamas but they have a far wider appeal. After all, why be stationary when you could rock on? Far from fussy and old fashioned, there are a lot of modern rockers out there — these are 9 of our current favorites. • Finn Rocker from Anthroplogie $1698• Holden Modern Rocking Chair from Hayneedle $199• Rocking Chair from Jason Lewis $2350 • Modernica Wire Rocker Chair $289• Curtis Clover Rocker from CB2 $249• Empire Rocker from Nursery Works $800 • West Elm Ryder Rocking Chair $594• Eames Molded Plastic Rocker from DWR $549• Kennedy Rocking Chair from Thrive Home Furnishings $949 MORE ROCKERS ON APARTMENT THERAPY• 10 DIY Glider & Rocker Makeovers• Rock On: A Modern Rocker Roundup• Rock-A-Bye Anyone: Modern Rockers & Gliders• Before & After: A Rescued Rocker Gets Brightened UpDeveloped for MIT's Festival of Art Science Technology, the SOFT Rockers use enhanced fabrication techniques to curve flat wooden panels, and have solar panels installed to charge the gadgets of those who relax within (All images courtesy of Phil Seaton)There's nothing quite like an old rocking chair for finding your center and chilling out.
Originally thought to have been developed as garden furniture, the rocker has now come full circle with the development of the SOFT Rocker by Professor Sheila Kennedy and architecture students from MIT. Installed at the Institute's Killian Court for the Festival of Art+Science+Technology (FAST), the teardrop-shaped outdoor rocking lounge chairs have solar panels over the top to provide power for up to three USB devices, and some after-dark lighting to allow the party to go on after the sun goes down.The SOFT Rockers are made from flat MDF panels which have undergone an advanced digital curving process based on the zipshape process that was originally developed in Switzerland by Christoph Schindler. A lightweight Kuka robotic arm was used to remove portions of the structurally unsound wood to form an inside surface resembling a row of teeth. "Zipshape can, in theory, be cut from any flat-packed material, but there are reasons to cut it out of MDF and then post-veneer the surfaces, as we did", the team's Phil Seaton told Gizmag.
"Basically, the 'teeth' that we cut work best when they're cut out of some grain-free and laminate-free material: cutting out of solid or plywood can cause the teeth to chip out during the cutting process. On the other hand, cutting out of MDF alone (and not veneering afterwards) risks the material not being able to handle the tension loads, and breaking in the backing (which is generally only about 2mm thick or so). We experienced many such breakages; the veneer, in our case, serves both a structural and an aesthetic purpose."Two such panels were then interlocked and glued together to form a curved structure, and then vacuum-sealed in plastic bags. When the glue had dried, they were removed from the bags, veneer applied to both sides and then placed back in the bags. Seaton said that the team "did try veneering first, in the flat, but found the panels lost some flexibility when done in this order."While the robot arm probably could have taken care of the intricate pattern work too, this was done using a laser cutter or 3-axis CNC router.
The wooden structure was then varnished to afford it some protection from the elements, although longer term installations will probably require something a bit more robust.Gen II flexible solar panels from Global Solar were installed over the surface of the roof to feed a 12 amp-hour battery, which in turn provides power to devices such as laptops, smartphones and even chilled drinks dispensers connected via USB.The 35W solar tracking system is "entirely human-powered - the idea has its roots in trying to invent a kind of culture surrounding power generation," says Seaton. "Rather than envisioning electricity generation as something centralized and off-site that embodies hidden processes and hidden social and environmental costs, we're imagining a future where 'soft' and decentralized generation of small amounts of power can actually become a hub for social and cultural activity.""The SOFT Rockers, then, are intended to employ as much human intervention in the generation of electricity as possible: the rockers are free to rotate on their bases, and are positioned horizontally using the handle on the front.