Signed Lincoln photo estimated at $100,000 on 'Antiques Roadshow'
On Antiques Roadshow, a woman brought in a signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln that has been in her family since 1862. As she tells it, her great-great-grandfather campaigned for Lincoln in Ohio. When he was moving to California by sea, he and his wife were invited to the White House for dinner with Lincoln and his family.
“My great-great-grandfather was asked if there was anything President Lincoln could do for him, and the story is that he offered him a job. But because they were in the midst of moving to the West Coast, he asked only for this autographed photograph,” the woman explained.
Unfortunately, the photo was taken in 1859 or 1860, before Lincoln grew his famous beard and moved to Washington D.C. to see the country through one of its darkest periods.
“They’re very rare, this size format, on the market inscribed,” the appraiser said. “The ones that have come up have brought some pretty significant amounts. One, especially because he had the beard, sold for $140,000 at auction. Because of the format, it was inscribed in Springfield, so I don’t want to mislead you. This doesn’t have the detail. … That’s why I would give this an auction estimate of a $70,000 to $100,000 auction estimate.”
Despite the lower estimate, the appraiser recommended putting a $120,000 insurance value on the item.
Antiques Roadshow airs on PBS.
Watch what happens when a woman finds out her $100 statue is actually worth $100,000:
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