American history buffs, this is the auction for you.
A rare copy of the Thirteenth Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation will be going under the hammer at Sotheby’s later this month, as a part of the house’s Fine Books and Manuscripts event in New York. And as if those offerings weren’t significant enough on their own, both pieces were signed by none other than Abraham Lincoln himself, making the duo the most valuable copies of each document to ever come to the block.
Each of the copies is rather significant, highlighting pivotal moments in the road to the abolition of slavery in America. The Thirteenth Amendment enshrined the termination of slavery into law, marking the first change to Constitution in 60 years at the time of its ratification in 1865. Estimated to fetch anywhere from $8 million to $12 million, the Sotheby’s offering is only of just 15 recorded copies signed by Lincoln, and one of only nine signed by the 16th president and other senators and congressmen at the time, who passed it for ratification by the states. Four out of those 15 are held in private hands, and this copy, in fact, is home to the most signatures from supporting legislators, at 96 percent.
A closer look at the signed copy of the 13th Amendment.
Courtsey Sotheby’s
The signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, meanwhile, is predicted to snag somewhere between $3 million and $5 million. The document, officially issued on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War, was an executive order stating that all enslaved people in Confederate states were to be freed. 48 limited-edition versions of the proclamation were created for charity, signed by Lincoln; they were sold for a whopping $10 to benefit the Sanitary Commission, a relief agency that provided the Union with medical support. Only 27 copies are known to survive—one of which, of course, is part of this historic auction.
“These documents are rare and profoundly important pieces of the story of America, so to present them together at auction is a rare privilege,” Selby Kiffer, Sotheby’s international specialist for books and manuscripts, said in a statement. “Though distinct, they are inextricably linked, with the Emancipation Proclamation laying the groundwork for the Thirteenth Amendment. Each bears the signature of Abraham Lincoln, who viewed this cause as the most important achievement of his presidency—an unwavering pursuit that shaped his life and defined his legacy.”
Pieces of American history have caused quite a lot of fanfare on the auction block. A rare copy of the Constitution, for example, was expected to fetch $20 million; billionaire Ken Griffin ended up snapped up that elusive prize for $43.2 million. To get a glimpse of the historic documents up for grabs this time around, you can head to Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries in New York, where they will be on public display from June 20 to 25. For those wanting to acquire one of the rare collector’s items, the auction itself takes place on June 26. Happy bidding.
