SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A collection of revered artifacts linked to President Abraham Lincoln was auctioned on Wednesday, marking a significant turn in a long-standing interagency conflict stemming from an unresolved $8 million loan. Among these items were Lincoln’s blood-stained leather gloves, carried in his pocket on the night of his assassination, part of 144 historical pieces offered, with 136 successfully sold. These artifacts were auctioned to satisfy the remaining loan taken by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation to procure a unique collection of Lincoln memorabilia from a California collector.
Conducted by Freeman’s/Hindman in Chicago, the auction garnered $7.9 million. However, the amount includes around a 28% buyer’s premium charged on each sale to cover the auction house’s administrative fees. The gloves fetched the highest price, $1.52 million with the premium included. A handkerchief, one of two Lincoln carried on April 14, 1865, the night of his shooting, sold for $826,000.
A rare “Wanted” poster showing photographs of three suspects involved in the assassination conspiracy, led by John Wilkes Booth, secured $762,500, significantly above its estimated top price of $120,000. Furthermore, the earliest known example of Lincoln’s handwriting, dating from an 1824 notebook, was sold for $521,200.
Attempts to reach the foundation for a remark via phone and email were unsuccessful. According to their website, proceeds from the auction would be directed towards clearing the remaining debt, with any surplus funds directed at maintaining and displaying their extensive collection.
In 2007, the foundation acquired a 1,540-piece collection from Louise Taper, aimed to enrich the newly established Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, which opened its doors in 2005 in the city where Lincoln built his law career and held political positions in the Illinois Legislature and briefly in Congress.
These artifacts were intended to bolster the library and museum, which lacked tangible items that attract tourists, despite having a wealth of Lincoln-related manuscripts. Nevertheless, insufficient fundraising led to the sale of non-Lincoln portions of the collection and threats of further sales until an extension of the loan was negotiated.
In 2012, controversy surrounded the centerpiece of the collection, a stovepipe hat thought to have been given by Lincoln to a southern Illinois supporter, valued at $6 million. However, the story faced substantial skepticism, resulting in a 2019 study that could not confirm Lincoln’s ownership of the hat. Notably, this hat was not featured in this week’s auction.