Rarest Lincoln Signature To Be Displayed In Philadelphia

The rarest Abraham Lincoln signature of them all is to be displayed for the next decade at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The only known signature of Lincoln he made in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 is a national treasure.

The autograph of Lincoln is in a book which contains the signatures of other dignitaries who were gathered in Gettysburg that day for the dedication of the national cemetery, the scene of Lincoln's immortal Gettysburg Address.

According to this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the autograph book was purchased for a staggering $937,000 at a Sotheby's (New York) auction by Lewis Katz, a philanthropist who is part owner of the New York Yankees and New York Nets. He in turn decided to loan it to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Among the other signatures in the book are those of William H. Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State who was nearly killed on the night of Lincoln's assassination; and Abner Doubleday, credited by some experts as the inventor of modern baseball.