Exclusive: Lincoln Expert Reveals His Favorite (and Most Expensive) Finds

In this special interview, I chat with Daniel Weinberg, the "Dean" of Lincolniana, at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We filmed this on the exclusive Press Night (Thursday, April 30, 2026), where Daniel revealed some of the most significant pieces currently held at the legendary Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago. I asked Daniel to show us his personal favorite find as well as the priciest item in the collection. 00:00 Grace Bedell & Abraham Lincoln 02:22 Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy's Autograph Book We dive deep into the fascinating story of Grace Bedell, the 11-year-old girl who famously wrote to Abraham Lincoln in 1860, suggesting he grow a beard to improve his appearance. You will see the rare 85,000 dollar campaign chart documenting Lincoln before the whiskers, alongside the collection of documents that changed American history. We also examine a world-class Congressional and Executive autograph album from the 38th Congress. This extraordinary time capsule belonged to Gideon Welles, Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy. It contains the signatures of the men who led the Union through the climax of the Civil War, collected in early 1864. Signatures identified in this ledger include: EXECUTIVE: Abraham Lincoln (dated Jan 19, 1864), Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, and Lincoln’s Private Secretary John G. Nicolay. CABINET: William H. Seward (State), Edwin M. Stanton (War), Salmon P. Chase (Treasury), Gideon Welles (Navy), Edward Bates (Attorney General), James Speed (Attorney General), Montgomery Blair (Postmaster General), William Dennison (Postmaster General), and John P. Usher (Interior). MILITARY: A rare clipped signature of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. SENATE: Charles Sumner, Lyman Trumbull, B.F. Wade, Reverdy Johnson, Henry Wilson, S.C. Pomeroy, and Lafayette S. Foster. HOUSE: Speaker Schuyler Colfax, Thaddeus Stevens, James G. Blaine, Elihu B. Washburne, George S. Boutwell, Justin S. Morrill, Henry Winter Davis, and future President James A. Garfield. OTHER NOTABLES: New York Governor Reuben Fenton and Anson Burlingame. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Daniel Weinberg is the owner of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, a premier destination for historians and collectors since 1938. Website: alincolnbookshop.com Location: 824 W. Superior St, Ste. 100, Chicago, IL 60642 Socials: Follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @alincolnbookshop YouTube: @abrahamlincolnbookshopinc.6325 💖Support the Journey Thank you so much for watching, liking, and subscribing! Your support helps fuel all our adventures. 📲 Follow Our Adventures For latest updates, behind-the-scenes, and travel news, follow us on Instagram! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farbav 🗺️ Travel & Booking Links Planning your next trip? Using these links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it sends a small commission our way to support the channel. Thank you! Expedia (Book Hotels/Flights): https://expedia.com/affiliates/farbav/escapes Hotelscom (Best for Stays): https://www.hotels.com/affiliates/farbav/escapes Vrbo (Vacation Rentals): https://vrbo.com/affiliates/farbav/escapes *Want to see which hotels we've recently toured?* Check out My Expedia Shop: https://www.expedia.com/shop/farbav 🛒 Our Favorite Gear & Shopping These are tools and partners we use and recommend: Hohem (Filming Gear): https://bit.ly/42fbypY Temu (Travel, Camera & Cat Finds): https://temu.to/k/uha4vyghmzn ☕ Buy Us a Coffee! If you'd like to help us refuel on the road, your support is greatly appreciated: https://buymeacoffee.com/farbav 📧 Contact Us For business inquiries, video suggestions, or just to say hi, email us here: [email protected] #unitedstateshistory #ushistory #interesting #fascinating #nycevents #AbrahamLincoln #GraceBedell #GideonWelles #CivilWar #History #RareBooks #america250 #DanielWeinberg #LincolnArtifacts #AmericanHistory #NYIABF #NYBookFair #unitedstates #presidentialhistory #Autographs #HistoryDocumentary #LincolnBookShop #MuseumQuality #ephemera