John Wilkes Booth ‘Wanted’ Poster Owned by Philadelphia Area Collector Fetches $166K at Auction

By

Image via Youtube.

A rare John Wilkes Booth “wanted” poster that was displayed on a tree in the Philadelphia area after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln has been auctioned online by Los Angeles-based Nate D. Sanders Auctions for $166,375. Franki Rudnesky reported the artifact’s surfacing in Philly Voice.

The item that was auctioned off on April 27 is believed to be one of only five that still exist. It is described as a “museum worthy piece” by the auction house.

The poster offers $100,000 for the murderers of “our late beloved President Abraham Lincoln.” It lists the reward money for Booth at $50,000. The reward for two of his conspirators, John H. Surratt and David E. Herold, are offered at $25,000 each.

The poster was printed on April 20, 1865, by the War Department in Washington, D.C.

“These posters, in general, are extremely rare; the time between when Lincoln was assassinated and when Booth was captured was 11 days, not a huge amount of time,” said auction manager Laura Kirk.

Read more about the poster in the Philly Voice.


John Wilkes Booth poster makes serious money on Pawn Stars.

Stay Connected, Stay Informed

Subscribe for great stories in your community!

"*" indicates required fields

Hidden
MT Yes
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement