Centerport woman auctions famed JFK cake topper

One of the next items being offered for sale by the Heritage Auction Galleries really is the icing on the cake.

Americans of a certain vintage will remember President John F. Kennedy's huge birthday party in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, mostly because of the way Marilyn Monroe, dressed in a skintight dress covered with rhinestones, sang a sultry "Happy Birthday" to her reputed secret lover.

There was also a five-tiered birthday cake to treat thousands of guests and, thanks to Lois Larkin of Centerport, a large piece of decorative icing - complete with the presidential seal - is going on sale Nov. 16 for between $5,000 and $10,000.

Age has turned the once white, sugary creation, known as a "topper," brown. Kathleen Guzman, a managing director at Heritage, said the topper dried to the consistency of hardened Play-Doh. It is now on display at Heritage's Park Avenue office.

Guzman said the unusual nature of the item required letters from Lois Larkin and other witnesses to help prove its provenance.

"I would never thought of anything like that happening," said Larkin, who for decades kept the icing in a box lined with tissue in a hutch along with her best dishes and linens.

Larkin, 67, said she got the unique item because her late husband, Patrick, was a New York City police detective back in the 1960s and had the assignment of working security at the Garden the night of Kennedy's party.

Patrick Larkin died in 2000 at age 68. An NYPD spokesman said the department didn't have records for the period when Larkin was with the force.

Lois Larkin said she, her sister Maureen and a friend had seats high up in the Garden. Even at that distance she said Monroe's dress was dazzling.

Afterward, said Larkin, her husband was in the kitchen area and noticed that the icing with the presidential seal, just over a quarter-inch thick and on a circular piece of wood, was lying on a counter. He asked a chef what was going to happen to it.

" 'It's between you and the garbage; if you want it you can have it,' " the chef said, according to Larkin.

Lois Larkin put the icing in a plastic bag. After moving to Centerport, Larkin wrapped it in tissue paper and put it in a box for about 20 years. Her youngest son, Michael, recalled trying to impress girlfriends with it.

After watching programs like "Antiques Roadshow," Lois Larkin asked Michael to see what the seal would fetch.

"At the time she thought it was worth a couple a hundred bucks," said Michael, 31.

Guzman said the asking price on Nov. 16 is in the range of $5,000 to $10,000. It is being sold with a copy of the event program, "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."