Gateway Gallery Auction of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania held a sale on January 25th comprised exclusively of political items from the collection of Fred C. Noye. There were a large amount of Pennsylvania locals and a handful of presidential campaign items worth in the low hundreds. The “diamond in the rough” was a 2.5″ x 7″ pink silk ribbon titled “Lincoln, Hamlin and Liberty”. It featured rather funky portraits of the Republicans superimposed on a canoply of flags. Condition was generally quite nice. Bidding started at $300 and escalated dramatically as the auction approached. When the dust settled, it recorded a final price of $12,420.
Americana Week in New York City is a weekly event where the “best of the best” crosses the auction block. Christies held a sale on January 24th that included a 16″ x 11.5″ Lincoln & Hamlin flag. Though estimated at $10,000-$15,000, bidders made a “statement” driving the price up to $40,320.
Case Auctions in Nashville held a sale on January 25th. A “personal” Jeff Davis flag was a featured item. It measured 28″ x 12.75″ and, as such, was not produced for the military, but retained by its owner, a 14-year-old Kentucky girl whose name appears below that of the President. The catalog included an extensive family history but, for some reason, asserted that the inscription was hand-painted when, in fact, it is obviously letterpress-printed. Based on the number of stars and related history, it appears to have been produced in mid-November to early December 1861, shortly after Davis’s uncontested election as the President of the Confederate States. It sold for $18,300. Not too shabby, as they say!
Michael Lehr Auctions of Rockaway, New Jersey held a sale on January 25th. Two items caught our eye. One was a 7.5″ x 4.5″ mounted albumen of Mathew Brady, apparently printed from a damaged original negative in the period following the war. Despite producing countless images of famous people and historic events, portraits of the “lensman” rarely appear. This example seemed like a good buy as someone “snapped” it up for a mere $700. On the other hand, a stereo view of the hanging of the conspirators did not “fall through the cracks”, realizing $3048.
Fontaine’s Auction Gallery of Pittsfield, Massachusetts specializes in art glass and Tiffany. Their February 1st sale included a series of 65″ x 88.5″ stained glass windows for William Penn, Washington and Lincoln. The Lincoln sold for $12,500. The images used in the composition seemed to lack “interplay”. Tiffany, it wasn’t.
Potter & Potter of Chicago held a sale on February 1st. They specialize in magic items. A 13″ tall wax head of Andrew Johnson was very realistic and certainly qualifies as creepy. Marked “17 Andrew Johnson” on the nape of the neck, it sold for $1625. We guess some people collect these.
An eBay vendor is currently offering a 24″ x 30″ hand-colored engraving titled “Union”, published in 1862 by Willam Pate, modeled after an earlier 1852 version. This later version includes Lincoln in the assembled pantheon of Unionists. The Buy-It-Now price is $1735.
Schultz Auctions of Clarence, New York held a 3-day sale which ended on February 1st. They offered an 18″ x 24″ broadside promoting a Republican Meeting in late October 1860. Five of the local Wide Awake Clubs were invited to the gathering. A pole raising, torchlight procession and speakers were part of the festivities. It sold for $3600.
An example of the 1860 campaign “Lincoln Grand March” published by F. W. Rauch of Cincinnati is currently being offered on eBay with a Buy-It-Now price of $2000. That’s a little higher than past sales, but this appears to be a very fine specimen with good graphics and a bold portrait.
Update 3/13/25. Price is reduced to $1400
Alderfer Auctions of Hatfield, Pennsylvania held a live auction on March 13th. It included a 2 1/2″ x 6 3/4″ Wide Awake Lincoln portrait ribbon from 1860. In excellent condition, it sold reasonably for $1187.
Hake’s held a sale on March 25th. A rare Currier & Ives Grand National Banner for the 1860 Southern Democrats, Breckinridge & Lane, sold for $12,546. A nice Lincoln back-to-back ferro from 1864 realized $3015.
On March 30th, an eBay vendor sold a rare Lincoln memorial token, King No. 230, in silvered copper. It was noteworthy in that it highlighted the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of September 22, 1862. Holed for suspension and measuring 22mm in diameter, it realized $170. On April 9th, Stack’s sold a piece of gold-mounted carnelian jewelry that featured a nearly-identical bust of Lincoln on the uniface disc. The selling price was $780.
Blue Lobster Treasures of Maine held a sale on March 28th, comprised mainly of coins, jewelry and currency. A 2 3/8″ x 8″ pink silk ribbon for Douglas & Johnson was offered. Except for a horizontal fold, it was in exceptional condition, looking like the day it was made. It realized $944.
Kaminski Auctions of Beverly, Massachusetts held an auction on April 13th that included a rather nice 23″ tall plaster bust of Lincoln, likely made shortly after the assassination. Signed by the artist, J. C. King, and dated 1865, it traded hands for $6250.
An eBay vendor from Lubbock, Texas offered two Lincoln assassination handbills on April 24th and 26th. Both were written and published by W. P. Wolfe of New Hampshire. The first heralded the assassination of Lincoln and measured 4 1/2″ x 8″. The second celebrated the death of Booth and measured 6″ x 8″. They sold for $199 and $670 respectively.
Fleischer’s Auctions of Columbus, Ohio held a two-part sale on April 25th and 26th. It included a lot of great stuff with a strong focus on the Civil War and slavery-related material. A mounted albumen by Daniel Bendann of Baltimore showed Admiral David Porter, John A. J. Cresswell, an unknown man, Mathew Brady and Bendann. It may have been printed from an 1860 negative by Brady. It made $6875. A large Stephen Douglas albumen brooch, possibly a memorial piece, sold for $3438. A CDV of Alexander Gardner dressed as a mountain man realized $16,250.
The Potomack Company of Alexandria, Virginia held an auction on April 29th. A “doughnut” ferrotype, described as 44mm, but possibly 41mm or 47mm (the obverse frame is typical for 41mm and the reverse frame is typical for 47mm) sold for $2340, despite faults. A Brady CDV of Lincoln, O-61 taken in 1862, made $1820.
PBA Galleries of Oakland held a sale on May 1st. A rare 8-page pamphlet, unlisted in Monaghan, promoted Simon Cameron and President and Abraham Lincoln for Vice-President. It contained biographical sketches for both candidates and was the brainchild of Dr. Charles Leib, head of the Cameron & Lincoln Club of Chicago. Published in late January 1860, it made $2500 with heated bidding.
Freeman/Hindman Auctions held a sale in Cincinnati on May 1st. A handbill or small broadside measuring 8 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ was offered, announcing a pre-election, get out the vote “Lincoln Meeting” in New Cadiz, Ohio. One of the featured speakers was twenty-year old Oscar L. Jackson. The lot included five of Jackson’s handwritten journals covering his activities during the 1860 campaign, delivering over 250 speeches, as well as his service in the 63rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. It appeared to be mounted on linen and resided for many years in the collection of Dr. James Milgram, a noted expert and author on Civil War patriotic covers. It crossed the block for $9600. Though not old enough to vote in 1860, Jackson did his bit to help elect “Honest Abe”.
In a decorative and folk art sale held just two days prior, they sold a 9 3/4″ tall bronze bust of Lincoln by Daniel Chester French cast by the Roman Bronze Works for $6080 and an “outsider art” 19″ tall carved wood figure of Lincoln with angel wings (“Now he belongs to the angels!”) done by Dave Lawhead of Burnside, Pennsylvania in 1981 for $768.
Freeman’s/Hindman held a sale in Chicago on May 21st, titled “Lincoln’s Legacy: Historic Americana from the Life of Abraham Lincoln”. It featured 144 lots consigned by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation, formerly part of the Louise Taper Collection. The material was presented chronologically and covered the full gamut of Lincoln’s life and career, from schoolboy to martyred President. As chronicled in the press, the collection was originally sold to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield. One of the “key” pieces was a stovepipe hat supposedly owned by Lincoln which subsequent research determined not to be true. The museum took out a loan to make the purchase, but was in arrears to the tune of $7.8M when the collection was transferred to the Foundation. Efforts to find a buyer failed, leading to “Plan B”, the auction of some of the better, more valuable items. The offering was heavy in manuscript and assassination material. The sale grossed $7.9M, leaving a modest shortfall after deducting commissions. A handful of lots failed to sell. Paddle #2021 was a frequent, early buyer. Many lots sold to bidders utilizing the Invaluable bidding platform, costing themselves money unnecessarily.
A copy of the “Adams Handbill”, billed as “the only known surviving copy of Lincoln’s First Printed Work, 5 August 1837” was estimated as $200,000-$300,000. The catalog description relates: “The General charges, that the whole has been gotten up by a knot of Lawyers and others to injure his election; and as I am one of the knot to which he refers, and as I happen to be in possession of facts connected with the matter, I will in as brief a manner as possible make a statement of them…”
James Adams (1783-1843) came to Springfield, Illinois in 1821, after fleeing from New York to avoid a forgery charge, and left behind a wife and daughter. Upon his arrival, Adams presented himself to his new townsfolk as a lawyer, and became involved with the local Democratic Party, where he quickly rose to its top ranks. By 1823, he was appointed probate judge for Sangamon County and postmaster of Peoria, while simultaneously working as a lawyer, and partaking in insurance sales and land speculation.
In 1837, Adams ran a contentious campaign for reelection for probate judge against Whig Anson G. Henry. Abraham Lincoln, a fellow Whig and Henry supporter, during this time represented Mary Anderson, a poor widow, who claimed that Adams had stolen land in Springfield from her late husband using forged documents. Over the summer, articles began to appear in the Sangamo Journal signed by one “Sampson’s Ghost” (believed to be Lincoln), that accused Adams of “fraud, forgery, and Toryism” (Burlingame, p. 423) concerning the suspicious land transaction. A scandal erupted, with Adams on the defensive. Three weeks before the election, in a bid to derail Adams’s election, Lincoln had this anonymous handbill printed and distributed in the streets of Springfield. The document details the complicated nature of the lawsuit in plain language for the ordinary citizen to understand, cataloguing Adams’s misdeeds and accusing him of forgery. Despite Lincoln’s persuasive arguments and evidence pointing to Adams’ fraud, in the end, Lincoln’s attacks were unsuccessful, and Adams was easily re-elected with 1,025 votes to Henry’s 792.
The handbill measures 9 1/8” x 12” and is docketed by Lincoln (“A L”) on the verso. It was folded and apparently sent through the mails. It was accompanied by a 6” x 12” handbill issued by Stephen T. Logan and others, a week later, attesting as to the facts of the accusation. Simeon Francis (publisher of “The Old Soldier” 1840 campaign newspaper which Lincoln edited) discloses that Lincoln is the author of the original handbill. The pair brought in $178,300.
A related legal document, dated August 17, 1839, deals with the case of Stephen T. Logan vs. James Adams. It is signed by A. Lincoln as attorney for the plaintiff and by Stephen A. Douglas as attorney for the defense. It appears to be the only document in private hands signed by both. The catalog relates:
During the slander trial of Stephen T. Logan vs. James Adams (March 1838-March 1841), opposing attorneys Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas agree to postpone the case until the Spring term of 1840. This litigation grew out of the bitter campaign in 1837 between Democrat James Adams, who sought reelection as probate judge in Springfield, and Whig Anson G. Henry. At this time, Lincoln, a fellow Whig and Henry ally, represented Mary Anderson, a poor widow who accused Adams of fraudulently claiming title to her land in Springfield. Despite Lincoln’s multiple attacks bringing Adams’ purported misdeeds to the public, Adams handily won reelection. The local Whigs, Lincoln included, refused to give up the fight, and over the following months, “a bewildering succession of charges, counter-charges and denials” were lobbed between the two factions relating to the matter. “Into it were drawn Elijah Iles, Benjamin Talbott, [Stephen T.] Logan, [John T.] Stuart and A.G. Herndon. Bitter animosities developed; friendships of long duration were broken.” (Angle, Here I Have Lived, p. 70).
During this controversy, Adams defended himself against the fraud charges by claiming that Stephen T. Logan, a respected lawyer and future partner of Lincoln’s, had “forged the assignment that was the basis for Adams’ claim to Anderson’s land, and Adams claimed Logan forged the document to destroy Adams’ character, the two being enemies.” (Fraker, Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency, pp. 22-23). Logan then sued Adams for slander in the Sangamon County Circuit Court and requested $10,000 in damages. Lincoln appeared as a witness for Logan, in addition to serving as his attorney, while Douglas joined other Democratic attorneys in defending Adams. Adams motioned for a change of venue, and the court granted a change to the Schuyler County Circuit Court. After 22 witnesses and litigation that stretched to nearly three years, the parties reached an agreement, in which Adams stated that he never intended to charge Logan with forgery. The court then dismissed the case (LPAL L00410).
By the summer of 1839, Lincoln and Douglas were in the formative stages of their careers and political lives, and had already established a nascent political rivalry in Illinois. At 30 years old, Lincoln was four years Douglas’s senior, and serving his third term in the state legislature, where he had become a leader of the central Illinois Whigs. Douglas, also in the Illinois legislature as a leader of the Democrats, was on the cusp of his meteoric rise to national political prominence, which would in short order would see him elected to the Illinois Supreme Court (1841), the United States House of Representatives (1842-47), and then the United States Senate (1847-61), where he would become one of most powerful political figures in antebellum America. Short, boisterous, and intemperate, compared to Lincoln’s tall stature and self-contained and melancholic nature, Douglas would gain the nickname the “Little Giant” for his powerful demeanor and political shrewdness that belied his physical shortcomings.
In these early days, the two men often faced each other in court, typically on opposite sides of the aisle, with the exception of the People v. Truett murder trial in 1838, where they worked together for the defense. While cordial outside the political arena and courtroom—they both were fixtures of Joshua Speed’s store and social gatherings—the stage for their rivalry traces its origins to this period, including the above Adams controversy, as well as to the 1838 U.S. House election. During that election Lincoln had campaigned on behalf of his mentor John T. Stuart in his narrow electoral victory over Douglas, and it was during this that Lincoln and Douglas held their first-ever debate, portending their classic confrontation nearly 20 years later. Estimated at $150,000-$250,000, it failed to sell, stalling at $85,000.
A 6” x 8” mounted albumen photograph of Lincoln, taken by Alexander Hesler in Springfield on June 3, 1860, designed 0-28) is signed by the Republican presidential candidate on the lower border “Yours truly A. Lincoln”. It was taken in the State Capitol Building on a quiet Sunday, in order to facilitate a demand for campaign portraits. The mount was trimmed, as is typical, to fit into an oval frame. Estimated $100,000-$150,000, it hammered for $254,400.
An orchestra ticket stub for the April 14, 1865 performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre was lotted together with an original playbill for the event, a “second issue” advertising the added attraction of a “Patriotic Song and Chorus ‘Honor to Our Soldiers’”. The playbill measures 6 ¾” x 19”. We are aware of the existence of two orchestra stubs and two dress circle stubs, plus an unused dress circle ticket. We cannot recall seeing any original playbills offered for sale in the last 50 years. Estimated $50,000-$75,000, the duo were a resounding hit, attaining $381,500.
Several personal relics used by Lincoln on the night of his assassination were offered, including a piece of his overcoat, a cuff link, a handkerchief and a pair of blood-stained leather gloves. Though he disliked wearing gloves, Lincoln made a concession to social custom and carried two pair with him at all times. He placed this pair in his coat pocket after settling into his chair in the Presidential Box. The gloves were gifted by Mary Todd Lincoln to Captain Benjamin Richardson, a collector of presidential memorabilia, who hoped to open a museum. They were delivered by Tad Lincoln to the University of Chicago and descended in Richardson’s family. Estimated $800,000-1,200,000, the grisly souvenir took top honors for the auction, passing into new hands for $1,512,500.
Bonham’s held a sale at their New York Gallery on June 24th. It included a 5 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ albumen photograph of Lincoln & Tad signed by Lincoln on the original mount. It was acquired by Franklin W. Pitcher in June 1864, as part of a donation by the President to be auctioned off at the Philadelphia Sanitary Fair. It realized $76,700.
Sotheby’s held a manuscripts sale on June 26th that was short in the number of items being offered, but high in quality. A signed “Boker” Emancipation Proclamation realized $4,442,000. A manuscript copy of the 13th Amendment, signed by Lincoln and all legislators who voted for it, sold for $13,697,500, both record prices. The buyer was Kenneth Griffin, billionaire founder and CEO of the investment firm Citadel.
University Archives of Stamford, Connecticut held a sale on July 16th. It included a manumission document signed by General David Hunter, departing commander of the Department of the South. The catalog description gives some of the background:
This dramatic document proclaims Jupiter Jamison, “once claimed as a Slave,” to be “forever free.” This declaration of freedom also applied to his wife, mother, and children.
On March 31, 1862, General David Hunter was given command of the Department of the South, which encompassed Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. After capturing Fort Pulaski (Georgia) on April 11, he emancipated all the captured slaves. On May 9, he declared all the slaves in the Department of the South to be “free forever.” Ten days later, President Lincoln nullified Hunter’s emancipation order, reserving the “war power” of emancipation for himself as commander-in-chief. The president also overruled Hunter when he raised a regiment of black recruits in South Carolina. He was relieved of the command of the Department of the South on August 22, 1862, the date of this document. Perhaps, as his final act, Hunter distributed these certificates of freedom to the former slaves in Port Royal.
On July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Militia Act that authorized a militia draft within the states. It also authorized, for the first time, African-Americans to serve in the militia as soldiers. If an African-American man served in the Union army or as an army laborer and was claimed as a slave, “he, his mother and his wife and children, shall forever thereafter be free.”
On August 1, 1862, General David Hunter provided hundreds of men in the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Regiment (which was being temporarily disbanded) with what might be termed their own private emancipation proclamations: “The bearer, __________, a _______ in First Regiment S.C. Volunteers, late claimed as a slave, having been employed in hostility to the United States, is hereby agreeably to the law of 6th of August, 1861, declared free for ever. His wife and children are also free.” Hunter chose August 1, because African-Americans celebrated that day to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire (August 1, 1834). This certificate by Hunter effectively enacts that provision for Jupiter Jamison.
This historic rarity prompted a bidding war that ended with a final price of $20,000.
A 7 3/4″ x 16″ newspaper extra from Jamestown, New York was offered on eBay. Despite areas of loss, it was hotly contested and realized a strong $1527.
Hake’s held a sale on July 29th offering a wide range of political items and collectibles. A cotton broadside printed by King & Baird of Philadelphia was a featured item. We believe it is the same one that was auctioned off perhaps 35 years ago by Freeman’s. Measuring approximately 12″ x 24″, it made a reasonable $9605. A 2 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ silk Teddy Roosevelt campaign ribbon from 1904 referenced the Wide Awakes and was worn by a member of that illustrious troop. $343 brought it home.
University Archives held a sale on August 27th. It included a ticket stub from Ford’s Theatre for a Tuesday performance of “Fra Diavolo” on March 28, 1865. Unlike similar tickets we have seen, it had a printed date, rather than a circular rubber-stamped date. It cashed out for $4687.
James Cummins Bookseller of New York City just issued a fixed price online catalog of Americana. A fine copy of Monaghan-1, the first imprint to mention the name of Abraham Lincoln, is priced at $9500.
Hilliard & Company of Madison, Virginia held a sale on September20th that included a 20″ x 16″ chromolithograph by P. S. Duval, titled “Champions of Liberty”. Published in 1865, it contrasted white soldiers of the Revolutionary War with black soldiers of the Civil War. It is similar stylistically to the rather common “Columbia’s Sons” print. We’ve only seen one other example of this title, a black & white version. This version sold for $938.
“Ain’t gonna happen!” An eBay vendor has listed this 14″ x 17″ lithograph cartoon from 1864 titled “Slavery and Its Ally.” It is described as a “hand-drawn broadside” by illustrator Reuben Brooks (1794-1870). It’s a never-before-seen anti-Copperhead, pro-Lincoln administration campaign cartoon. Nice, but we don’t think it will sell, not with a starting bid of $1,999.99.
Update: It did sell, but for a discount.
James Cummins Bookseller of New York City will be exhibiting at the upcoming Empire State Rare Book & Print Fair at Grand Central Terminal. One of the items he plans to bring is a rare 1863 history of the Draft Riots in pictorial wraps with a modern hard cover binding. It is currently priced at $4500.
New Hampshire Antique Co-op of Milford is currently offering this 16″x 20″ framed oil on canvas of McClellan for $2500. It has some faults, but not too bad and can be viewed “on the bay!”
An eBay seller listed a rare 1864-dated Lincoln ferrotype badge on October 8th. Mounted in a tagua nut frame, popular only during the Civil War, it appeared to be in very good condition. The seller listed it with a Buy-It-Now price of $3000. It sold the next day, likely at a discount. We think $1500 or thereabouts would be a ballpark figure.
Doyles in New York held an American Paintings & Silver sale on October 8th. It featured a 22″ bronze maquette of the Lincoln statue that currently is displayed in front of the Essex County Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey. Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum in 1910, the maquette was cast by Gorham in an edition of ten. The full size statue was installed a year later. This impressive work sold for $89,400.
Fleischer’s Auctions of Columbus, Ohio held a three-day sale October 9-11, featuring approximately 750 lots of hard images from the Civil War, assorted historical & political ephemera, and Civil War artifacts. We will focus on a few results from Day Two. A lecture ticket from January/February 1862, issued by the Emancipation League of Boston, listed Frederick Douglass as one of the speakers. It realized $4880. A railroad pass issued to a member of President-elect Lincoln’s Philadelphia reception committee, giving free transport from Trenton to Philadelphia, saw heated competition and climbed to $7930 (hammer plus 22% buyer’s premium). It’s quite possible Lincoln was a passenger on the same train, having just spoken before the New Jersey State Legislature in Trenton. An admission or seating ticket for the 1865 inauguration realized a record price of $14,640. Another record price was achieved with the sale of a silver shell portrait badge of Lincoln commemoratng the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. It made $8540.
Hindman/Freeman held a sale on October 23rd that included a wide variety of Lincolniana, heavily focused on period photographs. A George Clark ambrotype campaign badge of Lincoln was a stand-out offering. It had some crazing, but no chipping or bubbling of the emulsion and, overall, looked quite decent. A phone bidder and an internet bidder provided most of the action. The online guy walked away with the prize, securing it for $11,250.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas held a sale on October 24th and 25th. The cover lot was a Gettysburg Battlefield relic cane presented by President Lincoln to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The lot included four other canes including one carved from the flag pole at Ft. Sumter, all in the original packing crate, addressed to Stanton’s son Lewis in New Orleans. Stanton had the brass knob handle added to signify its origin and importance. It made $93,750. A showy 1864 campaign ferrotype on silk rosette surpassed expectations, selling for $15,000. There are less than 6 examples known and this is, arguably, the finest one.
A large campaign poster printed by King & Baird of Philadelphia, measuring 30 1/2″ x 45 1/2″ [sight] eked out a record price of $47,500. Finally, a curtain tie-back, or gathering cord, one of four in the Presidential Box at Ford’s Theatre the night of the assassination (and the one closest in proximity to the President) took a “curtain call” for $45,000. It was obtained by a Union soldier on furlough who happened to attend the performance that night and was well-documented.
Winter Associates of Plainville, Connecticut held a sale on November 3rd. The highlight was an 18 1/2″ x 23 1/4″ Lincoln broadside advertising a rally at Kennett Square on October 7, 1864. A similar broadside is known for a rally that took place a day earlier at Brandywine Manor. Both locales were situated near Philadelphia. This one reached $10,240.
Thomaston Place Auctions of Thomaston, Maine held an auction on November 6th. One lot included a pair of Electoral College tickets for Lincoln & Johnson from New York State, an unusual State Department Lincoln mourning ribbon, a July 4th 1864 patriotic ribbon and a small manuscript racist poem from New Harmony, Indiana. Five items for one money… $4375.
An eBay vendor is currently listing this rare 1860 campaign cover with a Buy-It-Now price of $475.
John Moran Auctioneers of Monrovia, California held a sale on November 18th. It included a 19 1/2″ x 22 1/2″ oil on Masonite of Lincoln done by Franklin Courter. It realized $5715.
On November 30th, an eBay vendor sold a fine example of O-116, taken in February 1865 by Alexander Gardner. It realized $5433. The record, achieved by Heritage Auctions, is $11,500.
Bonham’s held a sale on December 18th. It featured a 6 1/4″ x 8 3/4″ mounted albumen by Gardner of the hanging of the conspirators. Other formats include CDVs and stereo views. This is the most desirable, selling for $10,795.
An eBay vendor offered this 7″ x 12″ souvenir silk menu issued on February 18, 1861 at a banquet honoring President-elect Abraham Lincoln at the Delavan House in Albany, New York. It was a stopover on Lincoln’s pre-inaugural trip from Springfield to Washington, D.C. It was the third example we have seen and arguably the one in the best condition, even though it appeared to be glued down at the corners. There were well over 100 watchers, so the final price of $2325 was no surprise. The bidding ended on December 19th.
