Jack Ruby
[Dallas, Texas], ca. 1947-1963
Jack Ruby's Personally Worn Two-Toned "Gangster" Spectator Shoes, With Outstanding Provenance from Brother Earl
Apparel

A pair of fancy spectator shoes personally worn and used by Jack Ruby (1911-1967), the Dallas night club owner who fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald (the suspected assassin of 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy) on November 24, 1963. Expected wear consistent with heavy use, including minor surface flaking, creases, and heavy weathering to the undersides of the soles. Each shoe measures approximately 4" x 12" x 3.75." The shoes come with their original jointed wooden shoe forms. With outstanding provenance provided by Earl Ruby (1915-2006), Jack Ruby's younger brother. Ex-Pugliese Pop Culture Collection via Guernsey's; ex-Robert L. White Collection via Guernsey's.

The companion letter of authenticity states that the shoes dated from Ruby's time in Dallas, ca. 1947-1963, but stylistically they are perhaps older, ca. 1920s-1930s. The shoes are stamped with a partly visible maker's mark "--leton / --sau" on the insole, and are also stamped "10 1/2 AA/B 68291/ 150" near each heel counter. The size 10.5 pair of men's Derby dress shoes are two-toned in contrasting black and white (black leather toes and heels, white leather or buckskin upper quarters, black open-lacing shoe holes, white cotton laces.)

Known as the "spectator shoe" in the United States because it was often worn while watching or participating in sporting events, and the "co-respondent shoe" in the United Kingdom because its wearers were viewed as gaudily dressed adulterers, this bicolored dress shoe was popular from the mid-19th century through the Great Depression. The classic black and white color combination of Jack Ruby's spectator shoes has long been associated with American gangsters, and perfectly dovetails with his unsavory underworld reputation as a night club owner and possible purveyor of prostitution.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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stored in shoe box
The shoes are accompanied by paperwork including photocopies of a typed letter dated July 15, 1994 originally signed by Earl Ruby, Jack's younger brother, on a leaf of "Earl Products Company" letterhead, confirming the origins of this pair of shoes.

The letter states in part: "Dear Robert, [probably Robert L. White] This notorized [sic] letter of authenticity goes with two pairs of shoes and one pair of slippers which belonged to my late brother Jack Ruby who on November 24, 1963 shot Lee Harvey Oswald?

The second pair are size 10 1/2 black and white dress shoes with number 68231-150 stamped on the inside of each shoe. This last pair also has the original shoe forms still instead them?

I received the personal effects of my brother after a long court battle and these items were among his personal effects from Dallas?"

The paperwork also includes: the auction listing for the shoes when they were offered at the Pugliese Pop Culture Collection sale at Guernsey's on March 16, 2008; three original auction tags, two from the Pugliese Collection (from the aforementioned March 2008 sale), and one from the John F. Kennedy: Robert L. White Collection sale, which took place on December 15, 16, 17, and 21, 2005 at Guernsey's; and printed images of the shoes with Earl Ruby's photocopied signature.