CAG-certified Artifacts Tied to Lincoln and Wright Brothers Plane Highlight Heritage Sale

Several historical American artifacts that have been certified by Collectibles Authentication Guaranty® (CAG®) are being offered in an auction this month. Bidding is already underway for the Americana & Political Signature Auction 6269 presented by Heritage Auctions, which is scheduled for February 25-26, 2023.

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One highlight of the sale is a piece of the Wright Brothers' plane that made the historic first flight at Kitty Hawk. Two weeks before the auction, bidding had already exceeded $4,000 for the CAG-certified Wright Flyer Wing Fabric (Kitty Hawk Flown, 12/17/1903) from the Otto Kallir Collection (lot 43007).

This piece was part of the fabric that Wilbur and Orville Wright used on the first successful powered, controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. The 0.75” x 1.75” segment of muslin cloth was removed from the iconic plane and given to aviation expert Lester Gardner. Later, aviation history collector Otto Kallir acquired the cloth from Gardner and created a 1:42 model of the Wright Flyer using the historic fabric.

However, the model was damaged in the shipping process after being sold at auction several years ago. CAG was able to expertly remove the fabric from the model and partition the wing fabric into smaller segments. This is often done with artifacts so that more collectors can have access to such a vital piece of history.

Additionally, the Heritage Auctions sale includes an artifact associated with the 16th President of the United States' assassination: a CAG-certified Swatch of Wallpaper From the President's Box at Ford's Theatre (lot 43135).

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The artifact is a square-shaped piece of wallpaper that features a pattern with reddish leaves and flowers, which was removed from Ford's Theatre Box 7 — the presidential box — after Lincoln’s assassination. CAG certified and encapsulated the approximately 1/2" x 1/2" swatch from this moment that altered the course of American history.

On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln and his wife, Mary, attended the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. While Lincoln and his wife sat in Booth 7, John Wilkes Booth fatally wounded the president before making a dramatic escape. Lincoln would pass away the following morning across the street from the theatre in the Petersen House, making Lincoln the first American president to be assassinated.

CAG is an expert and impartial certification service that authenticates and preserves the provenance of collectibles, memorabilia and estate items at the source.

Other collectibles in the February auction include:

• an Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth Display with Signatures and a piece of CAG-certified Wallpaper from Ford's Theatre (lot 43133)
• a Wright Brothers Large Presentation featuring Individual Handwritten Checks by Both Wilbur and Orville Wright as well as a CAG-certified Segment of Wright Flyer Wing Fabric (lot 43010)
• a Blood-Stained Leather Swatch from the Dallas Limousine in the John F. Kennedy Assassination on November 22, 1963 (lot 43207)
• a Blood-Stained Leather Swatch from the Dallas Limousine in the John F. Kennedy Assassination on November 22, 1963 (lot 43208)