The auction of Abraham Lincoln’s personal belongings, including the bloodstained gloves he wore during his assassination, drew significant attention and brought in over $7.9 million. The gloves, which were in Lincoln’s pocket at Ford’s Theatre the night he was shot, sold for $1.52 million, including a buyer’s premium. The event was held to repay a loan from the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, which had taken out a loan 20 years prior.
Other notable items included a handkerchief that sold for $826,000 and a ‘wanted’ poster featuring John Wilkes Booth for $762,500. The auction, conducted by Freeman’s/Hindman in Chicago, saw the sale of 136 out of 144 items, with the majority of the proceeds going toward repaying the debt. The artifacts were part of the foundation’s collection, which was purchased in 2007 from Louise Taper for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. A notebook showcasing Lincoln’s handwriting from 1824 also sold for $521,200, noted as the earliest known sample of his writing.