Real or Not Real?
After Lincoln's death, people began collecting bits and pieces—relics, if you will, associated with the martyred president. Genuine or not, these items speak to Lincoln’s hold on the American imagination, then and now.
Can you tell the genuine items from the pretenders? Sometimes it is difficult for museum professionals to know.

About the Object:
Lincoln’s funeral car was ready to undergo restoration in Michigan, when the building it was housed in burned to the ground, destroying the railcar.
When this artifact was given to the Museum, the donor stated that his great-grandfather retrieved it from the debris.
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?
Donated by: S.W. LeNeve
729.18

About the Object:
Bloomington resident J.S. Beard lost his patronage job with the U. S. Post Office upon the 1856 election of Democratic President James Buchanan.
After Lincoln’s 1860 election, Beard sought the new president’s help to regain his job. In response, Lincoln wrote and signed this card.
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?

About the Object:
When Robert Stubblefield made payment on a debt he owed Lincoln for legal work, Lincoln handed him this receipt.
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?

About the Object:
This tiny slice of wood (believed to be cedar) was reportedly cut from a rail split by Lincoln near Lancaster, Kentucky. Cedar was typically used to make rail fences because it was abundant and easy to split.
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?
Donated by: William Mundt
97.104

About the Object:
In 1937 this fragment of walnut was presented to a local historian by W. Borchers. The attached label noted, “From the Lincoln cabin located nine miles from Decatur.”
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?
Donated by: William Brigham Collection
729.16

About the Object:
This oak gavel was purportedly made from floorboards taken from Lincoln and John T. Stuart’s Springfield law office (Stuart was Lincoln’s first law partner). The floorboards were removed during the 1905 remodel of the building.
Which do you think? Is it Real or Not Real?
Donated by: Malcolm L. Jackson
846.1301