An extremely rare lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair has brought strong results to Heritage Auctions' Civil War and Militaria Auction, which was held on December 8 in Dallas.
The hair, which was encased in a beautiful hand-engraved gold locket, sold for $38,837. The price represents a 55.3% increase on its $25,000 estimate.
 Lincoln was once described as having "wild Republican hair" by a reporter |
Paul Fraser Collectibles has the largest collection of historical hair for sale on the current market, with examples from a number of US presidents including George Washington.
A substantial amount of hair was sewn to a piece of cloth within the locket, with a handwritten note that reads: "Lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair given to Mary McCormick Cameron". Mary was the daughter in law of Simon Cameron, Lincoln's first secretary of war, and wife to his son, James Donald Cameron, who would later become secretary of war under Ulysses S Grant.
Simon Cameron served just one year in Lincoln's cabinet before retiring his position amidst a corruption scandel. Following Lincoln's death in 1865, he became close with Mary Todd Lincoln, who had called upon him to raise funds for her family after she had been left with huge debts by the deceased president.
 The Confederate flag was previously displayed at the Goodman House Museum in Texas |
The top lot of the auction was a Confederate silk flag, known as the Chilton flag. Used at the Battles of Oak Hill, Elkhorn and Farmington, the piece was consigned to auction directly from the granddaughter of Major George Chilton, who had led the third Texas cavalry during the civil war. It sold for $59,750, with excellent provenance and superb documentation.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a brilliant range of militaria for sale in our online store. For more of the latest from across the auction world, sign up to our free weekly newsletter.
