Morbid Memorabilia: Boston Auction House Sells 75 Cent Theater Tickets From Lincoln Assassination for Six Figures
Theater Tickets Lincoln Assassination sell for more than a quarter million dollars at Boston-based auction.
RR Auction in Boston sold a pair of tickets to Ford’s Theatre from the night of April 14, 1865 for $262,500.
Theater Tickets Lincoln Assassination: The original tickets were sold for 75 cents apiece.
On the fateful night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln met his tragic end at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The President and the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, were enjoying a performance of the popular play “Our American Cousin.”
The theater buzzed with excitement that evening, with the ticket prices ranging from 50 cents to a dollar, an affordable treat for many in those times. Lincoln, dressed in his signature stovepipe hat and long black coat, was in the company of some well-known individuals. Henry Rathbone and his fiancée Clara Harris joined the Lincolns in their box. (That’s a whole other tragedy. The Lincolns’ friends had a terrible ending as well. On December 23, 1883, Henry Rathbone attacked his family in a fit of madness. He fatally shot his wife in the head and then attempted to kill the children, but a groundskeeper prevented him from doing so. Rathbone then stabbed himself five times in the chest in an attempted suicide. Yikes)
Why was Lincoln seeing that play?
Well, it was partly to unwind after the strenuous years of the Civil War. He also had heard it was a crowd-pleaser. Little did he know, this night out would end in such a tragic manner.
The theater itself was quite the hub of activity, with its ornate interiors and gaslights casting a warm glow. It was a place to see and be seen, like a modern movie premiere.
As the play unfolded, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, crept into the President’s box and fatally shot Lincoln in the back of the head. Chaos erupted, and Booth leaped to the stage, shouting “Sic semper tyrannis” before making his escape.
![Lincoln's Murder](https://wror.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/GettyImages-3288339.jpg)
14th April 1865: The assassination of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre, Washington DC. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Authorities rushed Lincoln across the street to a boarding house. He following morning. This devastating event changed the course of history and left an indelible mark on the nation.
In that dark theater on that fateful night, a nation mourned the loss of a beloved leader.
“These front-row seats to history allowed the original theatergoers to witness a tragic performance that changed the course of our nation,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction told CBS News. “We’re honored to have played a part in preserving and sharing this remarkable piece of American history.”