The very first item touched that opened the drawn out Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon in 1974 has been sold at auction.
The basement door lock from the Watergate hotel and office complex that led to Democratic Party headquarters went for $62,500, showing that both Nixon and the scandal are very collectible.
Nate D. Sanders, whose auction house sold the lockset, said, “Americans’ fascination with Watergate has continued for nearly five decades. Historians and collectors will be intrigued by this lock, which symbolizes the downfall of the Nixon administration.”
The doorknob and lock were one of two tampered with on June 17, 1972 by five would-be burglars. The tampering was discovered by a guard and the five were eventually arrested and linked to Nixon’s reelection campaign, beginning a two-year cover up that led to the resignation.
According to Sanders, the locks have been kept privately for years.
Said his write-up for the sale, “The Watergate Improvement Association requested a new lock, which was installed on June 18, 1972. Locksmith James Rednowers installed the new lock and kept the original, tampered lock for a few years, until Watergate superintendent Jim Herrald requested it as a memento.”
The lock set included inner and outer knobs, original key and latch, all mounted to a wood display measuring 11.5” high x 9.5” wide x 7” deep.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
