JFK shorts spark sale fever in US

Four decades after the assassination of John F Kennedy, fascination with his private life remains strong, and today collectors of memorabilia will have the rare chance to bid for a pair of the late United States president's boxer shorts.

A New Jersey auctioneer will put the navy issue shorts, from the Second World War, under the hammer in an auction of JFK's belongings. The lots on offer also include lipstick and clothing owned by his wife, Jackie.

There is not much Kennedy paraphernalia that has not already been sold to collectors. But the lot likely to get the most attention is a campaign notebook owned by the president, with 22 pages of handwritten jottings of speech ideas.

This item alone is expected to fetch between $15,000 and $20,000 (£9,400 and £12,500). Paula Hantman, of Dawson's Auctioneers & Appraisers said: "The excitement for this collection is unbelievable."