In case you thought autograph collecting was a modern-day pursuit, this Abraham Lincoln-signed letter will quickly prove you were mistaken.
Lincoln wrote a letter a month after his election to the presidency in 1860, prior to taking office, replying to an apparent autograph collector.
“I send you my autograph which you request,” reads the letter, signed by Lincoln at the bottom.
The rare piece of autograph collecting history, as well as one of the scarce examples of Lincoln autographs signed as President-elect, is currently at auction via One of a Kind Collectibles.
Dated December 6, 1860, the letter has a current bid of $5,125. The same letter sold at Christie’s in June 2024 for $7,560.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.