The rediscovered document from the final days of President Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln document from April 1865
Signed and dated on April 11, 1865, it was recently found in a collector’s desk. According to Raab, the document of a treasury appointment for anti-slavery campaigner Allen Gangewer was one of the last things signed by Lincoln before his assassination on April 14 that year.
In 2023, the widow of the collector discovered this document in her late husband’s desk, along with letters from the late Ralph Newman, the previous owner of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop, offering to acquire it.
A document from the final days of President Abraham Lincoln priced at $45,000 from Raab Collection.
Raab said that while a copy was made by the government and filed with the National Archives, the original was thought to have been lost.
Raab has contacted Daniel Worthington, the director of The Papers of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, who has confirmed this was a “new find”.
It is being offered with an asking price of $45,000.
Science and culture proves popular
Katherine Schofield has joined Sotheby’s in London in its Science & Popular Culture department.
Sotheby’s is expanding its Science & Popular Culture department into the UK and Europe.
The department launched in New York in 2021 and has taken on Bonhams’ former specialist Katherine Schofield as head of department, Rock, Pop & Film; Popular Culture, UK & EMEA.
She will report to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of Science & Popular Culture.
Joseph Robson has joined Sotheby’s in London in its Science & Popular Culture department.
Schofield is also joined by associate specialist Joseph Robson in the London team. Schofield has more than 20 years’ experience and began her career at Christie’s.
Robson has five years of experience in the area, having worked at both Christie’s and Bonhams.
Heritage expands in UK and Japan
Texas firm Heritage Auctions has expanded in the UK and Japan.
It has opened a new central London office in Hanover Square, Mayfair. The venue will preview upcoming auction highlights, from its more than 50 departments.
Sara Balbi is managing director at Heritage’s London office. It previously had premises in Shepherd Market, Mayfair.
In Japan it will open an office in Toranomon Hills Mori Tower which will be run by Mai Matsumoto, who has more than 12 years’ auction experience including at Antiquorum Auctioneers and Phillips.
Heritage has offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Museum’s stolen gems now on view
Roman glass intaglio with Bacchus standing, leaning on Silenus, from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD.
The British Museum is showcasing classical gems that were recovered after a long-running thef t was exposed. As widely reported, last August the museum announced the discovery that items were missing from its collection. Investigations were launched and appeals made for the return of objects that had been sold on.
Dr Ittai Gradel, a Danish academic and dealer specialising Roman antiquities, who also works as a consultant at Timeline Auctions, first raised the alarm to the museum back in 2021 after spotting a number of items for sale online. However, action was not taken until the summer of 2023.
It emerged that around 2000 jewellery items had been stolen over a number of years.
The museum now says: “Thanks to the hard work of the recovery team, and the cooperation of the dealers and members of the public, hundreds of items have been returned. A selection of the recovered gems will be on display for the first time in this showcase.”
Among the items in the new exhibition are Roman glass gems from the late 1st century BC to early 1st century AD. Rediscovering Gems will run until June 15.
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The most clicked-on stories for week February 15-21 on antiquestradegazette.com
1 Anglo-Saxon coin hoard discovered in Braintree by metal detectorists comes to auction
2 Owner of 10 Downing Street visitor book plans sale after dismissing Treasury claim
3 Fascinating backstory of Mouseman furniture owned by same family since new
4 Letters: What the trade thinks of the buyer’s premium
5 Bidders spot a King James Bible sleeper
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