Lock of Lincoln’s hair and telegram smeared with his blood fetch $81K at auction

A lock of former President Lincoln’s hair and a telegram smeared with his blood reportedly sold for more than $81,000 at an auction from a Boston-based auction house. 

The telegram and 2-inch lock of Lincoln’s hair that was clipped during a postmortem examination a day after Lincoln was assassinated sold as an auction that ended Saturday, CNN reported Monday. 

A spokesperson for RR Auction house told the outlet the buyer chose to remain anonymous. 

CNN reported the auction house said the hair was given to Dr. Lyman Beecher Todd, a cousin of Lincoln’s wife and former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Todd used a War Department telegram sent soon after Lincoln was shot to wrap the lock of hair, CNN reported. 

Todd’s son, James A. Todd, outlined details of the hair and telegram in a letter dated Feb. 12, 1945, according to CNN. 

The auction house reportedly verified the authenticity of the hair. 

“When you are dealing with samples of Lincoln’s hair, provenance is everything— and in this case, we know that this came from a family member who was at the President’s bedside,” RR Auction Executive Vice President Bobby Livingston told CNN. 

RR Auction has more Lincoln memorabilia up for auction through Oct. 7, including a document signed by Lincoln appointed a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, according to CNN.