Rare John Brown Daguerreotype Auctioned
Published December 31st, 2007
A rare daguerreotype of abolitionist John Brown was bought by an unidentified bidder for $97,750 earlier this month, an auctioneer said.
The telephone bidder, declined to be identified, auctioneer Wes Cowan said. Cowan, an appraiser on the PBS show “Antiques Roadshow” and host of the public television series “History Detectives,” had estimated a sale price of $60,000 to $80,000.
“It’s the most important photograph we’ve handled in our 13 years of existence,” he said. Experts say probably no more than a half dozen original daguerreotypes exist of the man best known for his 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Va.
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