Washington To Obama: Rare Presidential Autograph Collection Could Fetch $500,000 At Auction

When it comes to collecting autographs, former U.S. presidents are among the most sought after and sometimes hardest to locate for memorabilia collectors.

An upcoming auction offers autographs from every president, from George Washington to Barack Obama.

What Happened: There have been 45 different presidents of the United States, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden serving as the two most recent.

Autographs from Trump and Biden aren’t included in a rare auction of presidential signatures, but the collection is unique and one-of-a-kind for the right buyer.

University Archives is auctioning off a collection of documents signed by the 43 presidents from Washington through Obama, as reported by Cllct. Each of the autographs came during the president’s time in the White House, making the collection even more rare.

The collection includes autographed letters, typed letters, and signed documents. The auction house estimates the pre-sale price of the lot of rare presidential signatures at $400,000 to $500,000. The auction kicks off on Oct. 30.

Did You Know?

Why It’s Important: While a collection of the autographs of every president is rare, one name stands out in the collection.

William Henry Harrison, who served as the ninth president, has one of the rarest autographs in history. Harrison was inaugurated as president at the age of 67 in 1841, a record for the oldest president sworn in at the time.

Harrison became ill after his record one hour and 45-minute inauguration speech in March 1841 and died one month later.

According to the Cllct report, autographs from Harrison before his presidency sell for around $1,000, but autographs from his short time as president are incredibly rare and valuable. A Harrison signed document from his time in office sold for $75,000 in 2015. Only around 40 Harrison autographs from his time as president are known to exist.

Outside of Harrison, former President James Garfield is another rare autograph from his presidential term. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, was assassinated 200 days into his term, the second-shortest stint.

Whoever buys the collection will have to decide whether to continue the trend and acquire autographs from Trump and Biden.

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.