There is something indescribable about being able to put your hands on a piece of history. It is a physical connection with the people and times of the past. Relics have an almost magical way of connecting us to the past in a way that mere words and knowledge cannot. During my trips and adventures in history, I have always sought to find something tangible that I can take home with me in order to help me surround myself in this shared past. I hadn’t realized how much I had taken to collecting until last year, when Jen and my friends helped me pack up my things for my move to Texas. Over my 9 years living in Maryland, I had amassed enough of a collection that we labeled a whole moving box as “Dave’s Bricks and Wood”. Along with these relics, I have also managed to acquire several period newspapers and images connected to the study of Lincoln and his assassination over the years.
Well since that move I’ve gotten married (well actually, Jen and I secretly eloped after two months of dating and then announced the fact via a game at our wedding reception exactly one year later, but that’s another story) and I have settled happily into the life of a family man with my amazing wife and two stepsons. In an effort to raise some money for my family here in Texas, I have decided to auction off a part of my collection.
As many of you know, my career had been that of an elementary school teacher and so you won’t find anything too expensive listed below. I don’t have a piece of Laura Keene’s blood stained dress or a John Wilkes Booth Wanted Poster in my collection. However, I do have a nice selection of photographs, relics, and period newspapers, that I think will appeal to many of you. While I could put this stuff up on eBay and sell things that way, I wanted to offer these relics to an audience who would appreciate and know about them. While others would look at one of my relics and just see a rock, fellow history buffs can appreciate the rarity of a rock from the dugout home in Cloud County, Kansas where Boston Corbett, the slayer of John Wilkes Booth lived. While my goal is, of course, to raise some money to help with bills, I also want to share these unique pieces with others who will appreciate them.
The format of my auction is different than others. I’m not running it through eBay or any auction website. Instead, it is going to take the form of a traditional silent auction as seen at school fundraisers (like I said, my background is that of a teacher). The big difference is that this silent auction will be online and the different bids will be tracked using Google Forms. There are a total of 28 lots for auction and I have created different Google Forms for each one. I invite you to peruse each lot, read its description, and look at the provided pictures. Each lot has a modestly set “Starting Bid” which is listed on the last line of the description.
If you are interested in placing a bid, you can click the hyperlink between the description and the pictures. This will take you to the Google Sheet which contains the current bid for the item. To place your higher bid, simply return to the lot’s Google Form, enter your name and bid at the bottom, and click “Submit”. This will register your bid and the bidding list will be updated so that others can see the new bid. You’ll have to come back to check and see if someone outbids you and, if they do, you can submit a new, higher bid.
If you decide to make a bid, you will also need to fill out a Bidder Information Sheet. This form is for my eyes only and gives me the necessary information I need to contact you at the end of the auction. Without this form, I wouldn’t know how to get in touch with you about your winning bid. You only need to fill out the Bidder Information Sheet once during the auction period. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone.
As of this post’s publication, the auction is open and each lot is now accepting bids! The auction period will close at 9:00 pm central time on Friday, August 26, 2022. Each bid that comes in automatically includes a timestamp and no bids that come in after the posted close of the auction will be accepted. I will then contact the winners to discuss shipping and payment options. Winners will pay their bid plus the USPS shipping cost from Texas to their homes.
If you have any questions, please add them to comments below and I will do my best to answer them ASAP. In the mean time, I invite you to explore each of the items up for bid by clicking the lots below. If you find a lot you are interested in, feel free to put in your bid, and then fill out the Bidder Information Sheet with your information.
Thank you for taking the time to look at the lots. Even if you don’t find anything to bid on, there is still some interesting history contained in each lot’s description. My family and I thank you for your support and consideration.
Happy Bidding!
– Dave (Jen, Atticus, and Noah) Taylor
Remember, while you should come back often to see if you have been outbid on your lot and put in a higher bid, you only have to fill in the Bidder Information Sheet once.
Images and Documents
Relics and Artifacts
Period Newspapers
The auction will close at 9:00 pm central time on Friday, August 26, 2022 so get your bids in before it’s too late.
LincolnConspirators.com 
Recent Comments