Billionaire hedge fund founder Ken Griffin purchased two rare historic documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln for a total of $18.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York on June 26. The lots included a congressional copy of the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery in 1865) for $13.7 million and a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) for $4.4 million. Only 15 known versions of the Thirteenth Amendment signed by Lincoln exist, with just four in private hands. Griffin, a top Republican donor and prolific collector, previously bought a first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution for a record $43.2 million in 2021.
The acquisition underscores the soaring market for historically significant American manuscripts, with both documents setting new auction records—the previous high for the Thirteenth Amendment was $2.4 million in 2016, and for the Emancipation Proclamation $3.8 million in 2010. Griffin's purchases also highlight the intersection of private wealth, political influence, and cultural stewardship: he plans to lend the documents to an unspecified U.S. institution and has already committed to lending his Constitution copy and a Bill of Rights precursor to the National Constitution Center, where he recently donated $15 million. The story reflects ongoing debates about the role of billionaire collectors in preserving and public access to national heritage.