A Signed Photograph of Abraham Lincoln Was Discovered in an Old Desk Drawer. It Sold for More Than a Luxury Sports Car
A Signed Photograph of Abraham Lincoln Was Discovered in an Old Desk Drawer. It Sold for More Than a Luxury Sports Car
Jordan GreeneThu, October 22, 2026 at 5:03 PM UTC
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Profile portrait of Abraham Lincoln, taken by Mathew Brady in 1864.Credit: Mathew B. Brady/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty -
A signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln was discovered in an old desk drawer in a Massachusetts home
The 1864 “Penny Profile” image was taken by Anthony Berger at Mathew Brady’s Washington studio
The photo sold at auction for $149,020
After a signed photograph of Abraham Lincoln was discovered in an old desk drawer in a Massachusetts home, it eventually made its way to auction, where it sold for $149,020.
According to RR Auction, which handled the listing, the 2.25-by-4-inch photograph was printed by Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries in New York and Washington.
The photograph captures the 16th president’s right-side profile and was taken on Feb. 9, 1864, by Anthony Berger at Mathew Brady’s Washington studio. The image, known as the “Penny Profile,” was later featured on the penny.
Written on the back of the photograph is the inscription: “Contributed for the benefit of the S. A. So. of Westford Ma. at their levee Dec. 14th 1864 by Pres. Lincoln.”
Profile portrait of Abraham Lincoln, taken by Mathew Brady in 1864.Credit: Mathew B. Brady/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty
According to RR Auction, the photograph was one of six autographed portraits Lincoln donated to benefit the Soldiers’ Aid Society of Westford, Mass.
At the time, he was unable to provide federal funds directly, so he instead donated signed photographs to be sold at the society’s fundraising levee on Dec. 14, 1864, to support the families of local Union soldiers, according to the auction listing.
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The photograph later came into the possession of Charles G. Sargent, a prominent Westford industrialist and civic leader, before passing to his son, Allan C. Sargent, a noted preservationist and member of several historical and patriotic organizations.
It remained in the Sargent family for roughly another century before being rediscovered in an old desk drawer, the auction house reported.
PEOPLE reached out to RR Auction for comment but did not hear back at the time of publishing.
To put the price in perspective, a Porsche 911’s starting price in 2026 is $135,500. More expensive models can cost upwards of $189,300.
This is not the first time memorabilia related to Lincoln has sold at auction.
In 2020, CNN reported that a lock of the president’s hair was sold by RR Auction for more than $81,000. Years prior, in 2008, CNN noted that a letter from the president fetched $3.4 million when it was put up for auction at Sotheby’s.
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Source: “AOL Money”
