Description:

Exceedingly rare completely handwritten and signed check by President-elect Abraham Lincoln with fantastic association; the bookends of his Presidency his historic ride to his Inauguration and his funeral train both on the William Case

ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809-1863) Autograph Document Signed "A. Lincoln" as President-elect, 1 page, 5" x 2.5". Springfield, Illinois, December 10, 1860. Blank paper infills at lower right edge and at top center touching lower left of "D" in "Dec." Bank cancellation cuts in upper center, not near signature. Fine condition.

The Springfield Marine & Fire Insurance Company supplied its customers with printed checks to fill out and sign. Here offered is an exceedingly rare check completely handwritten and signed by Lincoln just 34 days after he was elected the 16th President of the United States.

In full, "Springfield Dec. 10. 1860 / Springfield Marine & Fire Ins. Co. / Pay the bearer Wm. Case, / Five 50 dollars, in currency. / $550. A. Lincoln"

From March 1, 1853, until his death, Abraham Lincoln banked with the Springfield Marine & Fire Insurance Company, now JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Possibly written to William Case (1818-1862) who had been elected to the City Council of Cleveland in 1846, served as an alderman (1847-1849), and as Mayor of Cleveland (1850-1851). On February 8, 1861, President-elect Lincoln wrote to Cleveland Mayor George B. Senter & others, Committee," in part, "Yours of the 6th. inviting me, in compliance with a resolution of the city council, of the City of Cleveland, Ohio, to visit that city on my contemplated journey to Washington, is duly to hand; and, in answer, I have the honor to accept the invitation…" As a leading Republican leader, former Mayor William Case was most likely on this Committee. Lincoln spoke in Cleveland on February 15th, just two months after writing this check.

William Case was President of the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad. In February 1861, the "William Case," a wood burning steam engine named in honor of the railroad's president, escorted President-elect Lincoln as he rode from Cleveland, Ohio, to Erie, Pennsylvania, on his way to Washington for his March 4, 1861, inauguration. Four years later, the same "William Case" locomotive led the funeral train from Erie to Cleveland on its way to Springfield, Illinois.

The day he wrote this check, on December 10, 1860, President-elect Lincoln wrote an important letter to Democrat Lyman Trumbull, U.S. Senator from Illinois who was in Springfield, marking it "Private, & confidential." In full, "Let there be no compromise on the question of extending slavery. If there be, all our labor is lost, and, ere long, must be done again. The dangerous ground---that into which some of our friends have a hankering to run---is Pop. Sov. [Popular Sovereignty] Have none of it. Stand firm. The tug has to come, & better now, than any time hereafter."

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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June 21, 2016 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000