11 Record-Breaking Auction Lots That Reshaped the Americana Market

An Abraham Lincoln-signed copy of the Thirteenth Amendment

• At Sotheby’s in 2025. Result: $13.7 million.

President Abraham Lincoln signed an estimated 12 to 15 souvenir, or “Congressional,” copies of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery. Because the president’s signature wasn’t technically required for a constitutional amendment, Lincoln signed them only later, on February 1, 1865, as a ceremonial gesture to mark the legislative achievement. Nine of the copies are also co-signed by the senators and congressmen who voted for the amendment. A copy signed by Lincoln and 151 supporting lawmakers fetched $13.7 million in 2025, going once again to Griffin. Most of the surviving copies are in permanent museum and university collections, including the New-York Historical Society, Cornell University Library, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum. At the same sale, Griffin also purchased a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation for $4.4 million, bringing his total to an eyebrow-raising $18 million while setting a new record for the 1863 edict that freed enslaved people living in the Confederate states. According to a statement shared by Sotheby’s at the time, Griffin wanted to add the two documents to his collection because they marked a profound step forward, abolishing the scourge of slavery and advancing the ideal that all people are created equal. “As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we all have a part to play to strengthen and renew the promise of our nation,” he added. “Each generation must experience the sacred documents of our democracy—to learn from them and be inspired to carry our country forward.”