abraham lincoln

How Much Would You Pay For Fragments Of Lincoln's Wallpaper?

The world of Presidential memorabilia can be an confusing and intriguing one, combining history with celebrity. Our friends at Paul Fraser Collectibles sell some pretty interesting things but perhaps one of the strangest might be the collection of fragments shown at right. You are looking at pieces of wallpaper from the bedroom of the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned. Before President Lincoln left for Washington D.C. in 1861 to be sworn in as the sixteenth President of the United States he lived at 413 South Eighth Street in Springfield,Illinois. That home is now a dedicated historical site which is open for tours.

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Rare Lincoln Memorabilia Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A variety of rare Lincoln memorabilia is set to go up for auction on Friday June 11 in Cincinnati. Cowan's Auctions is selling 24 lots that include a Mathew Brady photograph of the president, pocket watches, Lincoln White House china and some of Mrs. Lincoln's famous jewels. Mrs. Lincoln was an early proponent of retail therapy and shopped lavishly both before and after her husband's death.

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, auction also has a darker side, documents showing the course of Mary Todd Lincoln's arrest and commitment to a private sanitarium are up for sale for an estimated $8,000 to $10,000. Mrs. Lincoln's son believed that his mother was mentally ill and committed her against her will, creating a family rift that never healed. The photograph shown at right , signed by President Lincoln, is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000 but could go higher.

The sale will feature other historical artifacts related to the Civil War and the history of the American West. There are several images of Annie Oakley posing with her gun as well as many images of soldiers from both sides of the war.

UPDATE: The Lincoln picture sold for $33,000 while the three documents showing Mrs. Lincoln's arrest and commitment to a sanitarium sold for $32,000.

Tags: abraham lincoln, historic, historical, Mary Todd Lincoln, memorabilia, president lincoln

Lincoln Stamp Collection Fetches Close to Two Million Dollars

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

At the Spink Shreves Galleries in New York, an auction proved that stamp collectors are still willing to spend money. A stamp collection centered on President Abraham Lincoln brought in almost $2 million (including commissions).

The stamps came from a collection by a retired executive from accounting and consulting firm KPMG. William Ainsworth inherited his father's stamp collection more than 40 years ago. Until 1977, he paid it little mind, but a meeting with a former postmaster general changed his thinking. Ainsworth began to build upon the already substantial collection, with a particular focus on Lincoln.

The collection included 19th and 20th century American stamps with the sixteenth president, along with tax stamps, private issues, proofs and test printings. A mint-condition set of 90 cent stamps (issued in 1869) pulled in $149,600, and a 1909 registered letter with a pair of blue 5 cent Lincoln stamps (sans customary perforations) was good for $77,725.

Source

Tags: abraham lincoln, AbrahamLincoln, auction, auction-house, auctions, philatelist, president, stamp, stamp collecting, StampCollecting, stamps

Smithsonian Museum Unveils Graffiti In Abraham Lincoln's Pocket Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Do you remember 1861? I know I do, and that little event at Fort Sumter that started a 'bit of a clash' here inside the United States. Well watchmaker Jonathon Dillon felt pretty strongly about it at the time living in Washington DC at the outset of the Civil war. On April 13th he happened to be in possession of President Lincoln's gold pocket watch (likely for servicing). It was a common practice for watchmakers to engrave markings inside of watch cases to memorialize that they are serviced the watch and when - similar to a graffiti tag. On this occasion however, knowing the owner of the watch and the ramifications of the Fort Sumter attack, Mr. Dillon was influenced to be prolific and felt it necessary to record the actions on the watch. "Fort Sumter was attacked by the rebels [the South] on the above date [April 13, 1861]...Thank god we have a government."

No one, not even President Lincoln himself had seen this inscription until just recently when the Smithsonian Museum opened up Lincoln's pocket watch on rumors of a "secret message," communicated by a descendant of watchmaker Dillon - who was not actually the person who made the pocket watch itself. The watch was purchased over a decade earlier in the 1850's while Abraham Lincoln was a successful attorney in Illinois. Other markings where included on the watch movement face by other watchmakers, but nothing quite like Dillon's words. Lincoln's pocket watch was originally given to the Smithsonian in 1958 by a descendant of Lincoln, who decided the timepiece was important enough to be included in America's greatest historical collection.

Via the National Museum of American History.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: abraham lincoln, AbrahamLincoln, civil war, CivilWar, engraving, jonathon dillon, JonathonDillon, pocket, pocketwatch, secret message, SecretMessage, smithsonian, watch