A rare and unusual political banner, created in 1864 to kick off Abraham Lincoln’s presidential re-election campaign, steamrolled its $40,000 opening bid to sell for $106,250 in Heritage Auctions’ Americana & Political auction May 18 in Dallas. The auction was carried to $1.1+ million on the shoulders of an important group of trade store figures, including four “cigar store Indians,” and a collection of items relating to President John F. Kennedy and his family including personally-owned objects and rare political campaign artifacts. “This was by far one of our most diverse auctions in recent memory,” said Tom Slater, Director of Americana Auctions at Heritage. “The Lincoln banner is truly one of a kind and now holds the price record for a Lincoln portrait flag at auction.” The previous auction record stood for eight years: an 1860 Lincoln portrait flag sold for $83,650 in a February 2007 Heritage a

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