Jack Kerouac's Personally Owned Vintage Portable Radio, ca. 1965-1966

A portable radio personally owned by Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), the famous American writer who brought us "On The Road" (1957). Provenance: The piece will be accompanied by an estate certification signed by John Shen-Sampas, executor of the Kerouac Estate by descent. John Shen-Sampas is the son of John Sampas, who was the brother-in-law of Jack Kerouac, and the brother of Stella Kerouac, Jack's wife.

The General Electric (Bridgeport, Connecticut) P1820 model AM/FM Eleven Transistor hand-held radio dates from circa 1965-1966. An adhesive label located at lower right verso is inscribed "Mrs. Kerouac / AA / S III", probably in Stella's hand. The model had several novel features for its day: it was cordless, powered by AA batteries; FM stations could be accessed through a telescopic antennae; and an earphone jack located verso enabled private listening. With expected wear including isolated stains and surface corrosion. The battery storage compartment was not examined. Unknown whether it is in working condition. 5.5" x 7.375" x 2.5".

This very radio is clearly visible in a series of candid photographs snapped at Jack Kerouac's last home in St. Petersburg, Florida sometime in 1968. (The original black and white contact sheet of photographic positive images was offered and sold in our May 6th sale, Jack Kerouac Estate Part III, but we offer a high-quality photo reproduction of a detail of these photos with this lot.) Jack can be seen lounging in a rocking chair in front of a bookcase cluttered with many objects: a lamp, a clock, two Mexican dolls, a pair of sunglasses, and this radio. Imagine our delight when we recognized this radio in the film!

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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