FERRIS, Texas — A Texas man looking for a rare Bachman-Turner Overdrive CD found something even more valuable at a small-town thrift store: a rare glimpse at one of America’s most tragic days.
George Rebeles, of Ferris, said he found a Polaroid photograph of President John F. Kennedy riding in his limousine on the day he was assassinated, WFAA-TV reported. The photo appears to show the president’s motorcade leaving Dallas’ Love Field, and the date 11-22-63 is handwritten on the back.
“I was shocked. I was shocked,” Rebeles told the television station. “And that’s putting it mildly.”
A man in Ferris made an unusual discovery in perhaps one of the most unusual of places. He's now asking if the nearly 60-year-old image of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas might have some investigative or even monetary value. https://t.co/wdJ4ZdjmmL
— WFAA (@wfaa) February 21, 2023
Rebeles bought a used copy of BTO’s “The Anthology” at the Soul’s Harbor Thrift Store in downtown Ferris, the Beaumont Enterprise reported.
Ferris is 20 miles south of downtown Dallas.
“Oh yeah, they’re consistently good,” Rebeles told WFAA about the Canadian rockers, who hit the charts with songs like “Taking Care of Business” and “Let It Ride” during the 1970s.
But he waited a month to open the CD and was surprised when he saw the photograph.
“It wasn’t until I turned it over that I noticed what it was,” Rebeles told the television station. “Of course (I) realized immediately that this was an unpublished photograph. So I was excited.
“It just struck me as odd to find it in a CD case. The timeline, and where it fits into the president being assassinated,” Rebeles added. “And how this could have ended up in a small town thrift store, fascinates me.”
According to the JFK Library, the president and first lady Jackie Kennedy arrived at Love Field at 11:38 a.m. CST on Nov. 22, 1963. Kennedy was shot in downtown Dallas around 12:30 p.m.
Farris Rookstool III is a former FBI analyst and JFK historian. He told WFAA that the photograph appeared to have been taken as the president’s motorcade left Love Field. Rookstool added that in the distance, a distinctive building appears to match the city’s Old Executive Inn.
Rebeles is wondering if he should ask collectors to “Gimme Your Money Please” for the photo.
While an interesting shot of the late president, it is unlikely that the photograph would command much on the market.
“Kind of giving you the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ interpretation here,” Rookstool told WFAA as he viewed an enhanced copy of the photograph. “The assessment is while you have a nice photo, it’s a nice keepsake, it’s a nice heirloom. It’s something that meant something to someone in someone’s family. I would say that if someone thinks this is of high monetary value, prepare yourself to (be) underwhelmed or disappointed.”
In the photo, everyone in the vehicle is looking away from the photographer, which Rookstool said might also lower its value.
“Probably intrinsic value of course but, as far as monetary value, I would have no clue,” Rebeles told WFAA. “I’m not a huge conspiracy nut or anything like that, but sometimes things don’t quite add up.
“I just hope that someone will look at this and say you know what, this is pretty nice to have something from history to see something that no one has seen in probably 60 years.”
