Lincoln's Old Desk at Auction

Last week the California-based auction house Profiles in History sold this yellow walnut desk along with significant documentation relating its provenance as "Abe Lincoln's Old Desk." Fetching $144,000 (premium included), this desk was used by the sixteenth president during his last four years as a member of the House of Representatives for the State of Illinois, where he served four successive terms between 1834-1842. The auctioneer stated in the catalogue description: "To the best of our knowledge, this is the only known Abraham Lincoln desk in private hands." Whether that still remains true, i.e. who was the highest bidder, is not yet known. But this does appear to be the very same desk offered by Nate D. Sanders, another California auction house, back in 2013.

Image via Profiles in History.