Lincoln's signed photo found in old desk later sold for $149,020
A rare signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln, originally donated to support Union soldiers' families during the Civil War, was discovered in a family home and auctioned for $149,020. The portrait is historically significant as it served as the reference for the Lincoln cent design.
Why it matters
It demonstrates the enduring historical and financial value of artifacts linked to pivotal figures and events in American history.
Some historical treasures spend decades behind glass, carefully catalogued and admired. Others wait quietly in forgotten corners of family homes, their significance hidden until an unexpected discovery brings the past back to life. A signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln followed the latter path, surviving for generations in a Massachusetts family before emerging with an old newspaper clipping that helped establish its remarkable history. The portrait eventually sold at auction for $149,020, states an auction report by RR Auction.A photograph with a wartime purposeAccording to the auction report, the photograph, known as Lincoln's Penny Profile, captures the 16th US president in a right-facing profile.
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