2016-09-22 Thu

On 17th September, Heritage Auctions sold a 1852 Henry Clay medal struck on a 30-ounce gold planchet from California gold for $346,000.

The auction was organised to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a publication named The Rail Splitter for enthusiasts of Abraham Lincoln and related memorabilia.

791 out of 866 lots were sold for a total amount of $2,445,391. Experts said that it was one of the most important Lincoln auctions that was held for the last 50 years.

Clay was a six-time presidential candidate, former secretary of state, Speaker of the House, and titan of the U.S. Senate and his condition was extremely critical by 1852.

Some members of the Clay’s Whig Party decided to honour his dedicated contributions over 50 years of public service with the release of the gold medal which was passed down through six generations of the Clay family and was finally on display at Clay’s Lexington, Ky., estate, Ashland, before being handed over for the auction.