Historic 10k gold Christening ring of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the infant son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was born at the Kennedy family home in Brookline, Massachusetts, at approximately 3:00 PM on May 29, 1917. The small ring measures .5˝ in diameter, the head is engraved with the initials, “J K,” and the bridge section is stamped with the gold purity, “10K.” Includes its original maroon Little’s Systems jewelry case and typed ownership note, which reads: “Gold baby ring of John Fitzgerald Kennedy second born to Rose and Joe at 2:59 pm. May 29, 1917. Attending physician Dr. Good. Baptized June 19, 1917 by Msgr. Greagh at St. Aidan’s. Property of: Mary H. Moore, 83 Beals St., Brookline, Massachusetts.” In fine condition.
Diminutive in size, immense in significance, this baby ring was gifted by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy to her close friend and secretary, Mary H. Moore, the wife of Edward Moore, himself the confidant and personal secretary of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. So close were the Moores and Kennedys that the latter couple named their youngest child, future Senator Ted Kennedy, in honor of Edward Moore, and on September 13, 1920, they conveyed to the Moores their Brookline home at 83 Beals Street, the very house in which JFK was born and raised.
The ring was later obtained from Moore by noted Kennedy collector Robert L. White, who showcased it alongside hundreds of other rare pieces of Kennedy memorabilia as part of ‘John F. Kennedy: The Exhibition,’ which was held at the Florida International Museum in 1999, the commemorative guide for which is included with this lot (the offered ring is pictured on the first page). Also included is a photo of the ring as it was displayed during the Florida exhibition; a vintage glossy 10 x 8 photo of Rosemary Kennedy standing with Mary H. Moore and Harvey Klemmer at Wall Hall in Hertfordshire, England, in 1939 (Moore looked after many of the Kennedy children over the years); copies of JFK’s baptismal record from Saint Aidan’s Parish, which was originally procured by Kennedy’s secretary, Evelyn Lincoln; and copies of newspaper articles mentioning the ring as part of White’s prestigious collection.
