Honest Abe at the Desk
FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Abraham Lincoln memorabilia, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.
As one of the most unique Presidential items to come for auction at Nate D. Sanders, we are excited to have up for our Lincoln auction —
Lincoln Desk
The original desk used by Abraham Lincoln while serving as a member of the House of Representatives for the State of Illinois.
Elected in 1834 at the young age of 25, Lincoln joined the Illinois General Assembly as a member of the Whig Party.
That he sat at this desk as a young politician is intriguing — even at 25, Lincoln already began to express his passionate political beliefs and opinions in this forum. Perhaps he knew one day he’d be one of America’s most important Presidents.
Here we can see one of the only and earliest photos of Lincoln circa 1847 — 
He became one of the “Long Nine,” a group of nine 1937-37 Whig party members elected from Sangamon County who all happened to be incredibly tall.
Here’s an illustration of Lincoln and the men toasting one another —
viaHornTip
During his formidable early career, he was re-elected to three more terms, in 1836, 1838 and 1840, and used this desk during his last two terms from 1838-1842.
He continued to serve in Illinois until his successful election as President in 1860.
In 1837, Lincoln protested against a series of resolutions relating to slavery. Particularly, he put his burgeoning beliefs on paper, perhaps even written on this desk, writing “that the institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy…that the Congress of the United States has no power under the Constitution to interfere with the institution of slavery in the different states…”
It is from these initial beliefs that his political platform grew.
Here is a rendition of the Chamber of Illinois House of Representatives, where this desk once belonged.
viaEtc.Usf
Desk is accompanied by several letters of provenance, one interesting one handwritten on 28 May 1920, titled ”Abe Lincoln’s Old Desk”. The writer tells of a note from 1857 that was found underneath the desk, ”…this desk was used by Abraham Lincoln during his last two terms as a member of the Illinois Legislature…It was afterwards occupied by J. Graham a personal friend of Lincoln who acquired its possession and ownership when the state replaced the old fashioned desks by new ones…”
With three additional letters of authenticity confirm this anecdotal story, including one from James Hickey, the Lincoln curator of the Illinois State Historical Library, noting, “It is our opinion that the desk which you have was probably one used in the House of Representatives in the State House at Vandalia, Illinois, and was moved to Springfield in July 1839 when the state government was officially moved by Proclamation of the Governor. As the new Capitol Building was not yet finished, the legislature used a church building for the sessions…”
Check out the desk and other cool items in our current auction!
FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Abraham Lincoln memorabilia, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982. Top dollar obtained for your memorabilia.