A lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair has been consigned to Heritage Auctions' December 8 Civil War & Militaria auction, which will be held in Dallas, Texas.
The piece is to provide one of the main draws of the sale and is estimated at $25,000+. It comes with impeccable provenance, having been consigned by its original owner's family.
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The substantial lock of the president's hair is sewn to a piece of cloth, which is encased in a stunning engraved locket. Also enclosed within the locket is a handwritten note, which reads: "Lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair given to Mary McCormick Cameron."
Mary McCormick Cameron was the daughter in law of Simon Cameron, who was Lincoln's first secretary of war. She was married to his son, James Donald Cameron, who also served as secretary of war under Ulysses S Grant.
Simon Cameron would serve just one year in Lincoln's cabinet before he resigned the position. Following Lincoln's death in 1865, he developed a close relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln, who was concerned with the mountain of debts the president had left behind and called upon Cameron to undertake a campaign to raise funds for her and her children.
A similarly sized lock of the president's hair, which was taken by the president's physician Robert K Stone during his autopsy, was donated in 2011 to the Gettysburg National Military Park and is estimated to be worth $30,000-50,000, according to the Washington Post.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has an impressive collection of historical hair available to collectors. Included in our selection are authentic strands of George Washington's hair, as well as strands from John Adams and John F Kennedy.