Why Lincoln is the most collectible president

Abraham Lincoln is big news on the auction scene.

Earlier this week a handwritten Lincoln letter to his wartime commanding general, Ulysses Grant, sold for $545,000.

In doing so the letter, which the president penned just days before the end of the civil war, almost doubled its estimate.

On December 16, Lincoln's desk from his time in the Illinois House of Representatives will auction with a $150,000 valuation.

Abraham Lincoln broadside
Have you seen Lincoln's assassin? This broadside is coming to auction for $150,000 later this month

The same sale features a poster offering a $50,000 reward for catching Lincoln's assassin. It too has a $150,000 estimate.

No president can compete with Lincoln when it comes to the value of his memorabilia.

Why's that?

There are many readers of this newsletter - you may be one of them - much better qualified than me to discuss the merits of Abraham Lincoln.

But from my own experience, I offer this.

Lincoln's abolition of slavery, combined with the perception that he was a man of great integrity and conviction, make him a hugely appealing figure close to 150 years on from his death.

Especially in a time that sees the US with its first black president.

Perhaps I should hand over here to an American. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote Team of Rivals - the book that the recent Oscar-winning film, Lincoln, took much of its inspiration from.

She tells USA Today: "[Lincoln] gives so much hope and solace for people who have gone through so many troubles in their lives.

"[His appeal comes] from where he came from and where he led the country. It was the most defining moment in our nation's history. Without the Union being saved, without slavery ending, without that war being won, we would not be America today."

To put it simply, there is no president in the history of the United States more unanimously revered today than Lincoln.

And the recent film's sympathetic portrayal of Abe has only cemented the public's affection for him.

An ABC poll, conducted in 2000, indeed found that Lincoln was the most popular president of all time. And when you consider that in achieving top spot he had to beat off competition from the likes of Kennedy, Washington and Reagan - that is quite the achievement.

How should Lincoln's popularity inform your collecting?

If you have the finances to buy rare and historically important pieces of Lincoln memorabilia - such as his personal desk later in the month - you can do so in the knowledge these pieces should have enduring appeal.

Which means they offer you good liquidity and investment potential - should you ever wish to sell.

And at the less valuable end of the spectrum, such as his autograph (available for around $1,000 at auction)?

Know that you will have an item wonderfully enjoyable to own. One that will personally link you to one of the most famous men who ever lived.

And there aren't many pieces of memorabilia around that can do that.

But here's one of them:

I have some of Abraham Lincoln's bedroom wallpaper for sale. It's priced at ?�2,950 ($4,635). If you would like it, give me a call on +44 (0)117 933 9500 or email info@paulfrasercollectibles.com

Until next week,

Paul

PS. There's still time to buy your Christmas gifts from Paul Fraser Collectibles, wherever you are in the world. Visit our store today.


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