CHICAGO — As America’s 250th anniversary quickly approaches, many auction houses have taken to offering specialized sales geared towards American political memorabilia. One such case was Freeman’s March 26 auction, The Fathers and Saviors of Our Country: A Presidential Sale, which, according to the firm’s website, took its title “from the iconic Currier & Ives print depicting George Washington as the ‘Father’ and Abraham Lincoln as the ‘Savior’ of the nation.” The 188-lot sale was led by memorabilia of the “Savior”: a 34-star eagle parade flag from the 1864 Lincoln and Johnson campaign. Made circa 1863-64 and considered “exceedingly rare” due to the limited amount of campaign material from Lincoln’s second run, the flag was paint-printed on cotton and depicted a wreath surrounding a large eagle and colored shield as well as the words “Lincoln and Johnson.” Surpassing its $50/100,000 estimate, the flag flew for $281,600 with premium. Additional highlights from this sale will be included in an upcoming issue.