Is 50 years too soon?  Apparently not.  Three uses of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as a marketing tool for geek culture crossed our desk within a few hours on Tuesday, which makes this a definite trend. 

Hake’s Americana & Collectibles timed the auction of Curt Swan Action cover art from 1963 to coincide with the anniversary, according to the York Daily Record.  The cover art for Action #309 sold for $112,000 because of the connection to the assassination:  it shows Clark Kent and Superman shaking hands, with the explanation that Clark Kent was actually President Kennedy in disguise.  The issue was released days after the assassination. 

The seller was a collector who purchased the art for $75 in the 70s, and the purchaser is a comic collector from overseas, Hakes told the Daily Record. 

On a bigger scale, 20th Century Fox has launched a viral campaign around the idea that Magneto killed Kennedy by altering the path of a bullet on November 22, 1963, according to Hollywood Reporter.  The campaign consists of a video and a Web page, both made to appear as if they’re from the era, with information about the Magneto connection to the assassination, along with hints of Mystique’s involvement.  The campaign promotes X-Men:  Days of Future Past in a yet-to-be-revealed way.

And in perhaps the most direct connection to the assassination, Leaf Trading Cards sent out an announcement Tuesday seeking information on the current owner of a controversial chase card in Leaf’s 2011 Pop Culture set.  The 1-of-1 card was a dual-cut signature booklet card of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald, along with a piece of the leather seat from the Presidential limousine in which JFK and Jackie Kennedy were riding in Dallas the day he was assassinated.
 
The card was found shortly after release and was auctioned on eBay for over $10,000 in the summer of 2011.  Leaf is trying to find the current owner, the announcement said, and wants to find out what the card would bring in the current environment, in which Kennedy memorabilia is bringing record prices.  Examples cited were JFK’s Air Force One leather jacket, which sold for $570,000 earlier this year, a ring given to JFK by his wife, which sold for $90,000, and even a necktie once worn by Kennedy, which sold for $8,720.  Lee Harvey Oswald’s Marine rifle score book sold for $54,000. 

Although there’s no direct connection to a current Leaf product, the outreach serves as a reminder that Leaf is “known to push the envelope when it comes to some of its product releases,” as the announcement said, and that its chase cards can be very valuable.