Lee Harvey Oswald's wedding ring

Object number2013.088.0001

Date1961

ClassificationsArtifacts

ObjectJewelry

Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection

MediumGold, 14 karat

DimensionsDiameter: 15/16 in. (2.4 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionLee Harvey Oswald's 14-karat gold wedding band, purchased by Oswald in the Soviet Union in 1961 when he married Marina Prusakova. The inner band of the ring includes three stamps. The most prominent marking is an official hallmark—the Cyrillic letter indicates the location of the gold assay office that provided the hallmark, while the “538” is the metric equivalent of 14-karat gold. The star stamped with the Communist hammer and sickle signifies precious metal manufactured in the Soviet Union. The other two stamps are likely maker’s marks. At the time of the assassination Lee Harvey Oswald was estranged from his wife Marina, who was then living with the couple’s young daughters at the home of Ruth Paine in Irving, Texas. Oswald often visited his family on Fridays but deviated from this routine when he decided to stay overnight at the Paine residence on Thursday, November 21. On the morning of November 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald uncharacteristically left his wedding band on a night table beside his wife’s bed. Next to the ring, he placed $187 in cash. Marina Oswald later testified before the Warren Commission that Oswald had never left his ring at home, next to her bed, in such a manner before that Friday morning.

Curatorial Commentary

Of all of Lee Harvey Oswald's personal belongings that were gathered and analyzed by investigators in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, this simple wedding band perhaps tells the most significant story. Oswald unsuccessfully tried multiple times to reconcile with Marina on the evening of Thursday, November 21. According to Marina, he went to bed angry that night. The next morning he left this wedding ring in a cup on a night table beside her bed, along with $187 in cash. What motivated this action on November 22, 1963? For many researchers, it is the symbolic act of a man who knows he can never go home again. Whether or not one chooses to directly link this to the assassination, Oswald's actions that morning were certainly uncharacteristic and remain open to debate more than half a century later. This ring provides a tantalizing window into the mindset of Lee Harvey Oswald. - Stephen Fagin, Associate Curator