Abraham Lincoln Auction Benefits Foundation, Sets Records
A recent auction of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia at Freeman’s | Hindman honored the 16th president’s legacy on behalf of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation.
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most important and celebrated figures in American history. From his childhood on the American frontier to his rise as a lawyer and politician, his outspoken opposition to slavery, his leadership as President during and following the Civil War, and ultimately, his tragic assassination, his life is the stuff of legend. On May 21, the legend came to live in the “Lincoln’s Legacy: Historic Americana from the Life of Abraham Lincoln” auction at Freeman’s | Hindman. The auction was held on behalf of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation in Springfield, Illinois, and it set multiple records for Lincoln memorabilia.
According to a statement from Freeman’s | Hindman, the auction raised $7,899,994 and sparked multiple bidding wars. Twenty-five percent of bidders were new to the firm.
The auction spanned Lincoln’s life, with many of the most notable lots coming from his early years. A leaf from a sum book from about 1824, signed twice by a then-teenage Abraham Lincoln, sold for $521,200, setting a new record for the earliest known example of his handwriting. The torn, soiled book leaf, sandwiched between sheets of plexiglass, includes a short humorous verse by Lincoln and several long division problems and their proofs. Lincoln famously had little formal schooling but was dedicated to self-study. His stepmother, Sarah, saved some leaves from his old sum books and gave them to his former law partner after his death. Eleven such leaves are known to exist. One other is known to be in a private collection.
Several records were set for memorabilia relating to Lincoln’s assassination. The auction's top price went to the pair of leather gloves Lincoln carried to Ford’s Theatre on that fateful night. They sold for $1,512,500, a record for any Lincoln assassination relic. A Wanted poster for assassin John Wilkes Booth, promising a “$100,000 Reward!,” sold for $762,500, beating its previous price of $131,250 in 2024. Described as “Possibly the most famous reward poster in American history,” the poster, a broadside measuring 23 3/4 by 12 1/2 in., has three affixed carts de visite with pictures of Booth and his accomplices, John H. Surratt and David Herold.
Of course, an auction of Lincoln memorabilia must feature items from his presidency. A first printing of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address from 1865 sold for $165,600, far surpassing its previous record of $46,000 in 1996.
Items from both of Lincon’s presidential campaigns sold as well. A rare red, white, and blue paper lantern with the word “Union” sold for $5,440 against a high estimate of $1,500. Dating to 1860, the time of Lincoln’s first campaign, the lantern is believed to have belonged to the Remann family, who were good friends of the Lincolns. A token from the same campaign with ferrotype portraits of Lincoln and his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin, also sold for $5,440. A rare blue silk ribbon from Lincoln’s second campaign, proclaiming the support of the “Union Club of the Lancaster Locomotive Works” for Lincoln and Johnson, had a presale estimate of $800 to $1,200 and sold for $8,320.
A statement issued by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation declared the auction “a significant step forward for our organization.” The foundation was founded in 2000 to establish the Abrahan Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It continues to celebrate Lincoln’s legacy with its museum collection, events, educational resources, and annual Lincoln Leadership Prize.
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