The public sale of items identified to be belongings of Abraham Lincoln held by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on Saturday generated more than $800,000, the auction house announced in a press release following the conclusion of the event.
Eric Bradley, the spokesperson for the said auction house, disclosed that the items were part of the collection of Donald P. Dow. The exact total made from the sales of these memorabilia amounted to $803,889, which was said to be twice the original estimate for the items.
One of the items sold during the auction was Lincoln's lock of hair, which was cut off from his body by Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes moments following the assassination of the ex-president on April 14, 1865. This item was sold for $25,000.
Another significant item included in the collection was Booth's letter written in 1861, which revealed details shared by the assassin to one of his friends regarding his professional career and acting ventures. This was bought for $30,000.
"The public was so disgusted by Booth's atrocity that most all letters, signatures and documents mentioning him were destroyed after Lincoln's death, making any that survive 150 years later exceedingly rare and valuable," Don Ackerman, the consignment director for Historical Americana at Heritage Auctions, shared referring to the Booth-related document sold in the auction.
Also included in the collection is a piece of cloth cut from Lincoln's death bed, which had Lincoln's bloodstain. This was sold for $6,000. Meanwhile, a display of pictures and autographs, dubbed as "The Martyr, The Assassin, and The Avenger," which referred to Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and Boston Corbett, respectively, was sold for $30,000.
The military arrest warrant issued against Booth was sold for $21,250. In addition, a letter signed by Lincoln himself in 1864 that authorized the prisoner-of-war swap of then Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was also offered for sale. Another letter, which was signed by Mary Todd Lincoln, was sold for $10,625. Meanwhile, $11,875 was paid for the framed White House Admittance Card offered during the auction.
"The Dow Collection gave us a unique perspective of the assassination and I doubt we'll ever see a grouping like this outside of a museum setting," Ackerman commented.
Dow was a second-generation gallery owner of Dow Art Galleries of Forth Worth in Texas. He began to build his 300-item assortment of Lincoln-related memorabilia in 1963. Dow died five years ago, which prompted his son, Greg Dow, to open the collection to the public.
According to Greg, his father's inspiration in starting his Lincoln collection was rooted by his fascination with the Civil War as well as with military artifacts. This captivation with the said fields eventually pushed Dow to become "interested in Lincoln and the assassination."
Years after his father passed away, Greg now believes that the time has come "for other collectors to have a chance to enjoy it [the collection]," as disclosed in an article from BBC news.
