Sell or Auction Your John Wilkes Booth Autograph Letter Signed for up to Over $40,000 or More at Nate D. Sanders Auctions
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Sell Your John Wilkes Booth Autograph Letter Signed
Below is a recent realized price for a John Wilkes Booth autograph letter signed. We at Nate D. Sanders Auctions can obtain up to this amount or more for you:
John Wilkes Booth Autograph Letter Signed. Sold for Over $40,000.
Here are some John Wilkes Booth items that we sold:
One of the scarcest and most important documents in the history of the United States: the very first printing of the reward poster for the capture of John Wilkes Booth and two other conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Printed by the War Department, Washington, DC on 20 April 1865, five days after President Lincoln passed and six days before Booth was killed.
This broadside reward poster is the very first printing and also the rarest of the three iterations printed by the War Department, with some estimates of fewer than five existing today. It is much scarcer than the second printing, which has three woodcut frames at top for photographs of the conspirators. That second printing poster has recently sold several times in excess of $200,000. This first printing poster is so scarce that no recent auction records exist.
In large, bold type, poster reads ”$100,000 REWARD / THE MURDERER / Of our late beloved President Abraham Lincoln, / IS STILL AT LARGE”. Reward money for each man is listed, and at the bottom, their descriptions: Booth is ”Five Feet 7 or 8 inches high…black hair, black eyes, and wears a heavy black moustache.”; in later printings, the public is warned that Booth has likely shaved off his moustache. John H. Surratt is described at length, and then David E. Herold (here misspelled as ”David C. Harold”) is described as ”a little, chunky man, quite a youth, and wears a very thin moustache.”
Poster measures approximately 22.125″ x 12.125″, as called for, with lower edge trimmed slightly. Linen backed some time ago, with damp-staining to linen. Expected age wear, with damp-staining to edges, toning and spots of discoloration. Creasing, with closed tears and some paper loss, mostly at middle top. Overall in good to very good condition with no substantial loss of text and displaying very well.
Poster originates from the Philadelphia area, passed down through the same family until its auction here; it has never been sold or auctioned before. A museum worthy piece, perhaps the only opportunity to own the very first printing of the reward poster of the first U.S. President to be assassinated.
References: ”Twenty Days” by Kunhardt & Kunhardt; ”Lincoln’s Assassins: Their Trial and Execution” by Swanson and Weinberg. Sold for $166,375.
John Wilkes Booth Autograph
An incredible four-line verse in the hand of John Wilkes Booth autograph, “J. Wilkes Booth.” The verse is written on an envelope dated “Washington D. C., 5 March 1865,” measuring 3.25″ x 6.25″. The envelope also has inscriptions by three other hands. Booth’s document signed poetic verse reads: “Now in this hour that we part,/ I will ask to be forgotten never/ But, in thy pure and guileless heart,/ Consider me thy friend dear Eva.” The text appears on the verso of the envelope on the inside of the flap. Experts are aware of approximately 300 letters that Booth wrote. After he killed Lincoln, the people who received these letters burnt them for fear they would be linked to Booth. It is estimated that only 17 Booth letters remain in private hands. Sometime in late 1864 or early 1865, Booth entered into a serious romance with Lucy Lambert Hale, daughter of John Parker Hale, New Hampshire’s former abolitionist senator. By March, Booth was secretly engaged to Lucy Hale. On March 4th, he attended Lincoln’s second inauguration as the invited guest of Lucy. It is tempting to consider that this envelope brings us into one of the periodic meetings between the conspirators planning to kidnap or assassinate the President. They gathered in Booth’s hotel room sharing a bottle of whiskey, discussing the fate of the Confederacy, and here, expressing a regretful sentiment. Booth is known to have confided to his actor friend Samuel Knapp Chester, “What an excellent chance I had to kill the President, if I had wished, on inauguration day!” (Chester testified at the Conspiracy Trial that this conversation took place at a table at the House of Lords saloon in New York City.) Beneath Booth’s verse is inscribed, in another hand “For of all sad words from tongue or pen/ the saddest are these – it might have been,” a quotation from John Greenleaf Whittier’s Maud Muller. Beside the quote is the date “March 5, 1865 In John’s room,” referring to Booth’s room at the National Hotel in Washington D.C. On the recto, in a third hand, are two lines of docketing “Jno Conness MSS” perhaps referring to Senator John Conness of California. Beneath this notation is a 3-line inscription from Whittier’s poem “Remembrance” which reads, “Touched by change have all things been/ Yet I think of thee as when/ We had speech of lip and pen.” And, in the same hand is the sentiment: “The above, though quoted, are the real sentiments of your friend, who trusts that the acquaintance and friendship formed will never be forgotten by either.” Signed “Jno P. M. W.” A rare John Wilkes Booth autograph item. Sold for $32,500.
Abraham Lincoln & John Wilkes Booth Notes Signed, Along with a Wallpaper Swatch from the President’s Box at Ford’s Theatre — Displayed with an Illustration of the Assassination that Changed History
Dramatic signed presentation of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the event that shaped history in the aftermath of the Civil War. Below an illustration of the assassination just moments before it happened, the autographs of Lincoln and Booth are displayed next to a swatch of the actual wallpaper that lined the President’s box in Ford’s Theatre, matching the illustration.
Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. President to be assassinated, and his death reverberated decades after 14 April 1865. His Vice President, Andrew Johnson, assumed control of the country on 15 April and quickly rolled back proposed protections for newly freed black Americans. Johnson even opposed the 14th Amendment which gave citizenship to former slaves, preferring instead to leave suffrage laws up to the states. Of course it’s impossible to know how history would have changed had Lincoln survived, as it remains one of the great “what ifs” in American history.
Abraham Lincoln’s autograph note signed is displayed below his image, dated 3 November 1864 just five days before the Presidential election. Lincoln writes in full, “Allow the bearer transportation from Washington to Pittsburgh, Penn. / A. Lincoln / Nov. 3, 1864”, with recipient’s name “M.L. Cullen” written in another hand. Measures 3.25″ x 2″, with some nominal smudging to handwriting; overall in very good condition with bold handwriting. Lincoln’s note is accompanied by a PSA/DNA COA.
Booth’s signed note also appears below his image and reads, “J. Wilkes Booth”, comprising a receipt for money accepted by Booth. Booth’s signature is considered one of the scarcest of all signatures, and is accompanied by a University Archives COA. Note measures 7.5″ x 2.875″, in near fine condition. The swatch of burgundy wallpaper measuring .625″ x .5″ is encapsulated by CAG to a size of 3.375″ x 4.25″.
Photo illustration measures 20″ x 16″, archivally matted to a total size of 25.5″ x 28.5″. A compelling presentation, in near fine condition. Sold for $31,500.
Boston Corbett Autograph Document Signed
Boston Corbett autograph document signed detailing how he captured and slayed John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin. Datelined Topeka, 19 January 1887, “Statement of Boston Corbett” reads: “In camp at Vienna, Virginia, on the morning of April 15th 1865 the news reached us that President Lincoln had been shot the night before…Our regiment the 16th N.Y. Cavalry was immediately ordered out in pursuit of the Assassin…Our Regt. was soon cut up into detachments…Col. N.B. Switzer…Major Bosworth…[and] First Lieut. Edward P. Doherty…They had photographs of Booth, Herold and Surratt…Captain Henry Wilson, who conveyed us to Belle Plain, where we landed and at once began the search between the two rivers Potomac and Rappahannock. At Port Conway the Ferryman recognized two of the pictures and said, Those two men crossed my ferry yesterday. Willie Jett, a Confederate officer, he said, aided them on their way, giving Booth a lift on his horse after crossing the river. We followed the clue given, captured Jett, who was compelled to guide us to the place where he had left the men. Arriving at Garretts Farm, the Lieut. said to me Booth is in that house, ride through the command, and see that every man’s pistol is in readiness for use. I did so…On entering the premises we found the men were no longer in the house, but had taken refuge in the barn. A surrender was demanded and refused. Booth declaring that he would not be taken alive. After much parleying Herold concluded to surrender, and was at once put under guard. The tobacco barn was then fired by Conger, the detective and Booth could then be seen. A single pistol shot from a Colts revolver brought him down and the capture was effected. A doctor was sent for who pronounced the wound fatal. Inside of three hours he was dead. Mr. Conger chose me as an Escort, and we started for Belle Plain and we there took steamer for Washington and before evening closed the news had flashed over the wires that Booth was taken. April 26 1865 was the day when God avenged Abraham Lincoln’s death…During the interval of our different Scouts I attended Prayer Meeting one night…I prayed, O Lord, lay not innocent blood to our charger, but bring the guilty speedily to punishment. Afterward when the Assassin lay at my feet, a wounded man, and I saw the bullet had taken effect about an inch back of the ear. And I remembered that Mr. Lincoln was wounded about the same part of the head. I said What a God we serve. I little thought when I offered that prayer a week ago that it would be answered in this way.” Corbett’s statement was displayed at Lincoln’s tomb. A 21″ x 16.5″ single-page document. Water, cello tape stains, toning. Matted. Good. Sold for $28,500.
John Wilkes Booth Autograph Hotel Register from 1863
Single page measures 8″ x 6.5″. John Wilkes Booth writes his name and place of residence “J Wilkes Booth, Baltimore” neatly on a piece of hotel register leaf and pasted to a board above three other clipped entries from the same register including Col. Nelson A. Miles, Gen. Joseph Hooker, and “Abraham Lincoln,” in an aide’s hand, as well as the date “Wednesday 20th May 1863.” Upon his arrival in Washington in April of 1863, John Wilkes Booth was the darling of Washington, D.C., then known as Washington City. He was heralded for his realistic portrayals and the young actor was dubbed the “Darling of the Gods” and “The Pride of the American People.” He appeared in the city for seven performances including roles as Richard III and Hamlet. The press heaped praise on him declaring his Romeo to be the best ever played in that city. Contemporary accounts even mention President Lincoln present the night of Booth’s Washington debut on April 11. These register clippings came from a register maintained at the National Hotel, located only a few blocks from the White House, and one of the top hotels of the city. President Lincoln frequently visited the hotel to confer with military leaders and gave a stirring anti-slavery speech from the hotel balcony. John Wilkes Booth also stayed at this hotel when in Washington, most infamously during the days leading to the assassination. Booth’s signature is considered to be one of the rarest of all American autographs. This incredible document is the only existing relic unequivocally placing John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln in the same hotel, only days apart, and is worthy of inclusion in the finest collections of Civil War Americana. Nice John Wilkes Booth autograph. Sold for $20,939.
Extremely Scarce John Wilkes Booth Autograph Letter Signed Recounting an Incident for Which Booth Would be Tried for Assault & Battery — Composed to the Brother of Lincoln Assassination Co -Conspirator Michael O’Laughlen, Jr. — 1854 “…I knocked him down, which made him bleed like a butcher…I have to stand trial for assault and battery…”
Single page, octavo, datelined “Tudor Hall, Aug 8th, 1854,” to Samuel William “Billy” O’Laughlen, brother of Michael O’Laughlen, Jr., conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Booth pens in full: “My Dear Fellow / In these last two weeks, I have had more excitement than I have had for a good while. First, and foremost, I went to a champagne drinking, and you had better believe that the road (home) seemed longer that night than it ever did before. 2dly we had a client [tenant] on the place whom we could not agree with. We had several sprees with him. In one he called my sister a liar. I knocked him down, which made him bleed like a butcher. We got the sheriff to put him off the place. He then warranted me and in a couple of weeks I have to stand trial for assault and battery, as you call it. I paid another visit to the Rocks of Deer Creek the other day. It looks just the same and Sunday I went to that large camp meeting with the hope of seeing you there, but I was disappointed. I saw John Em- there or that fellow that works in your shop. The Indian’s were up here the other day with their great Bear, excuse my bad writing and excuse me also for not writing to you sooner. Give my respects to all who ask after me. I have nothing more to say. Yours For Ever, / John W. Booth / (write soon).” The encounter with the “client” Booth mentions was doubtless the same episode his beloved sister, Asia, recounted in her memoir of the Booth family, “The Unlocked Book.” Their mother, after being widowed, rented the family farmland, stock, and hired slaves to an abusive man who insulted Mrs. Booth and her daughters. Young Wilkes went to redress matters and demand an apology, but ended up breaking a stick over the man’s head. Billy and Michael O’Laughlen were friends of Booth from boyhood, when they were neighbors in Baltimore during the acting family’s intermittent residence in that city. Booth’s signature is considered to be the one of rarest of all American autographs. His handwritten letters are even scarcer as the nation-wide manhunt after Lincoln’s assassination prompted many of those who possessed his papers to destroy them, fearful that they would be implicated in the conspiracy. This is one of his few surviving handwritten letters in private hands, and is revealing in that, aside from some adolescent boasting, touches upon a significant incident from his youth with a fine association. The left margin of the letter has been tipped to a strip of lined paper, with file holes. Minor soiling; otherwise, fine condition. Dark John Wilkes Booth autograph. Sold for $19,194.
Abraham Lincoln Autograph Note Signed, John Wilkes Booth Signature & Wallpaper Swatch from the Ford’s Theatre President’s Box – Displayed with an Illustration of the Assassination that Changed History
Dramatic signed presentation of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the event that shaped history in the aftermath of the Civil War. Below an illustration of the assassination just moments before it happened, the autographs of Lincoln and Booth are displayed next to a swatch of the actual fabric that lined the President’s box in Ford’s Theatre, matching the illustration.
Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. President to be assassinated, and his death reverberated decades after 14 April 1865. His Vice President, Andrew Johnson, assumed control of the country on 15 April and quickly rolled back proposed protections for newly freed black Americans. Johnson even opposed the 14th Amendment which gave citizenship to former slaves, preferring instead to leave suffrage laws up to the states. Of course it’s impossible to know how history would have changed had Lincoln survived, as it remains one of the great “what ifs” in American history.
Abraham Lincoln’s autograph note signed is displayed below his image, dated 6 February 1865 just two months before the assassination. Lincoln writes in full, “Let this man take the oath of Dec. 8, 1863 & be discharged. / A. Lincoln / Feb. 6, 1865″. Measures approximately 3.375″ x 2.25″, affixed to slightly larger backing and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to a size of 7.25″ x 4.25”. Irregularly trimmed edges, overall in very good condition.
Booth’s signature is considered one of the scarcest of all signatures, and is also encapsulated by PSA/DNA. Clipped signature measures 1.875″ x .75″, encapsulated to a size of 5.25″ x 3.25″. The swatch of burgundy wallpaper measuring .5″ square is encapsulated by CAG to a size of 3.375″ x 4.25″.
Photo illustration measures 20″ x 16″, archivally matted to a total size of 25.5″ x 29.5″. A compelling presentation, in near fine condition. Sold for $12,600.
Amazing autograph letter from Washington, D.C. Police Superintendent Almarin C. Richards, in the audience at Ford’s Theater the night President Lincoln was assassinated, to Louis Weichmann, chief prosecution witness at the assassination conspirators’ trial. Richards searched for suspected conspirators John Wilkes Booth and John Surratt at the boardinghouse of Mary Surratt, John’s mother. In the 24 December 1900 letter, he reviews his memory of events for the book on the assassination Weichmann was writing. Richards states, ”…The fact is well and certainly known that Booth was the assassin of Lincoln before 12 o’clock midnight of the day of the assassination…[actress] Laura Keene had stated before that hour that while she did not know who had shot the President but that the man who jumped from the President’s box on the night was J Wilkes Booth…there seemed to be a peculiar hesitancy on the part of the theatre people…to disclose information…yet Miss Keene did not hesitate to state as above indicated. It was information that I had that Booth had been an associate of John Surratt’s for a few weeks prior to the assassination that led me to visit Mrs. Surratt’s house soon after midnight on that night…” Signed, ”A.C. Richards”. Minor smudging to 7.75” x 9.75” letter, written upon both the front and verso of one sheet. Overall very good condition. Sold for $3,125.
John Wilkes Booth CDV
Carte-de-visite photograph of John Wilkes Booth measuring about 6.3 inches 2.1 inches, mounted on a card printed with “The New Orleans Photographic Co. | 57 Camp Street”. Sold for $1,650.
John Wilkes Booth Handwriting — Encapsulated by PSA/DNA
John Wilkes Booth handwriting, with Lincoln’s assassin writing ”For M A”, referring to his sister Mary Ann Booth. Slip measures 2.375” x .5”, encapsulated by PSA/DNA to a size of 4.375” x 3.125”. Near fine condition. Sold for $756.
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