Treasured artifacts associated with President Abraham Lincoln were auctioned on Wednesday, including blood-stained leather gloves that were in Lincoln's pocket the night he was assassinated. The auction was held to pay off the remainder of a loan taken out by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation in 2007 to purchase a vast collection of Lincoln memorabilia.
The artifacts were separated from a collection intended to be available for public display indefinitely and had been loaned out and displayed in museums and historical sites across the United States. The collection became embroiled in financial difficulties amid a lingering $8 million debt, prompting the foundation to auction items to settle the obligation and close out the loan taken from that year.
"The proceeds from the sale will be used to satisfy our obligation to retire the outstanding loan balance from the Foundation's purchase of the collection," the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation said in a statement. "Any excess funds will go toward our continued care and display of our extensive collection."
In March, the foundation announced it would auction off 144 items, which are less than 10 percent of its 1,540-item collection. Out of these, 136 were sold at the auction, raising $7.9 million. The figure includes buyers' premiums of roughly 28% added to each sale to cover the auction house's administrative costs.
The blood-stained gloves emerged as the top-selling item, bringing in $1.52 million, including the premium. One of two handkerchiefs Lincoln had with him on April 14, 1865—the night he was shot—sold for $826,000. A "Wanted" poster featuring photos of three suspects in the assassination conspiracy led by John Wilkes Booth sold for $762,500, far exceeding its estimated top price of $120,000.
Another artifact, the earliest known sample of President Lincoln's handwriting from a notebook in 1824, fetched $521,200. These sales reflect the enduring fascination with Lincoln's life and the historical significance of items associated with him.
The Lincoln Presidential Foundation purchased the 1,540-item assemblage in 2007 from Louise Taper, intending to bolster the fledgling Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The library and museum, which opened in 2005, are located in the city where Lincoln established his law practice and lived while serving in the Illinois Legislature and briefly in Congress.
The artifacts were supposed to give the library and museum a boost in attracting tourists by offering unique curiosities. However, fundraising for the institution was slow, leading to financial strains. The foundation had threatened to sell more artifacts before it finally extended the loan.
In 2012, a controversy arose over a stovepipe hat that had been the crown jewel of the collection. Appraised at $6 million, the hat was said to have been given by Lincoln as a gift to a southern Illinois supporter. The story of the hat came under intense scrutiny, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, and a 2019 study found there was no evidence the hat belonged to President Lincoln. The stovepipe hat was not part of Wednesday's auction.
By selling less than 10 percent of the collection, the foundation aims to preserve the majority of items for continued public display and educational purposes.
Phone and email messages seeking comment were left for the Lincoln Presidential Foundation.
"A page from a childhood workbook. Remnants from the campaign trail. The small cuff button he wore on the night he died. These yellowing relics offer a glimpse into the legendary life of President Abraham Lincoln," reported The Washington Post.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.
