In a contentious auction that has sparked debate, a pair of blood-stained leather gloves that President Abraham Lincoln carried on the night of his assassination fetched a staggering $1.
52 million.
The gloves were among several treasured artifacts linked to the 16th President that went under the hammer on Wednesday.
According to The Independent, the auction was held to settle the remaining balance of a loan that the Lincoln Presidential Foundation had taken out two decades ago. The loan had been used to purchase a unique collection of Lincoln artifacts from a California collector, Louise Taper, in 2007.
The auctioned items also included one of two handkerchiefs Lincoln had with him on April 14, 1865, the fateful night he was shot, which sold for $826,000. A "Wanted" poster featuring photos of the three suspects in the assassination conspiracy, led by John Wilkes Booth, fetched $762,500, far exceeding the top estimated price of $120,000. The earliest known sample of Lincoln's handwriting, from a notebook in 1824, was sold for $521,200.
Out of the 144 items that were up for bid, 136 found buyers. The auction, held at Freeman's/Hindman in Chicago, raised $7.9 million. However, this figure includes buyers' premiums of approximately 28% added to each sale to cover the auction house's administrative costs.
The items were initially bought from collector Louise Taper, who expressed her displeasure at the auction before it took place. Taper had sold the items with the hope that they would be preserved in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, which opened its doors in 2005.
However, the artifacts, which were meant to be on public display indefinitely, became embroiled in an interagency dispute due to an outstanding debt of $8 million. The foundation's website stated that the proceeds from the auction would be used to retire the debt, with any surplus funds allocated towards the continued care and display of their extensive collection.
The artifacts were intended to enhance the library and museum's collection, which was already rich in Lincoln-related manuscripts, by adding the kind of substantial curios that attract tourists. However, slow fundraising efforts led to the sale of non-Lincoln portions of the collection and threats by the foundation to sell more before the loan was finally extended.
In 2012, a controversy arose over what had been the crown jewel of the group a stovepipe hat, appraised at $6 million, that Lincoln was said to have given as a gift to a southern Illinois supporter. This story came under intense scrutiny, resulting in a 2019 study that found there was no evidence the hat belonged to Lincoln. The hat was not part of Wednesdays auction.
The auction's outcome underscores the enduring fascination with Lincoln's legacy, even as it raises questions about the stewardship of historical artifacts and the pressures faced by institutions tasked with preserving them.
Despite the controversy, the sale of these items has ensured their survival, albeit in private hands, and contributed to the continued operation of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
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