A Lock of President Abraham Lincoln's Hair – Collected by a Surgeon on His Deathbed!

Offered is a small lock of President Abraham Lincoln's hair, collected by Dr. Charles Taft, one of the surgeons that attempted to save the President on the night of his assassination. Two locks of hair were cut from Lincoln's head that night: one by the surgeons attempting to clear the wound so they could attempt to treat the President's wounds, and a second lock that was cut by Mrs. Shuyler Colfax, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both locks of hair were presented to the grieving Mrs. Lincoln, who, in turn, gifted a portion to Dr. Taft. The lock of hair was passed down to Taft's son, who sold the hair in 1908. The hair then appeared at auction more than 80 years later in the early 1993. The lock offered here emanates from that original group that was eventually broken up by noted hair collector Louis Mushro. The lot is accompanied by a copy of the documents detailing the history of the lock of President Lincoln's hair. The presentation includes Mushro's signed statement that he removed the hair from the original amount from Dr. Taft's family. The hair is encased in a small bit of plastic surrounded by an ornate gold colored frame. Near Mint condition.