John F Kennedy’s assassin’s coffin up for auction

The coffin of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating President John F Kennedy, has been put up for auction.

Oswald who was arrested in the immediate aftermath of Kennedy’s murder in Dallas in 1963, was shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby while he was still in police custody but before he faced trial. As a result, countless conspiracy theories emerged.

The former U.S. marine was buried in a simple pine box after he was assassinated in November 1963.

Almost twenty years later, Oswald’s widow Marina, and his brother Robert, demanded that his remains be exhumed to verify it was him that had been buried. His remains were then re-interred in a new casket in Rose Hill cemetery in Texas.

The original coffin is set to be auctioned off in the coming weeks and is expected to draw attention because of it’s tenuous connection to former U.S. president.

Laura Yntema, manager for Nate D Sanders auction house in California, where the coffin will be auctioned said: “There’s just a lot of interest in Kennedy and anything to do with his assassination.”

The catalogue says the coffin is made from discolored pine and measures 80 inches by 24 inches deep. It has been badly water damaged but it is still expected to fetch a high price with bidding starting at $1,000.

Ms Yntema says that the auction on December 16 will also include a blood stained piece of the leather car seat on which JFK was sitting when he was killed.