Although this tintype of Gen. Robert E. Lee is old, it may have been copied from another image. Image courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.

Tintype of Robert E. Lee could set Goodwill record

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Bidding has topped $10,000 for this tintype of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Image courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee Inc.

Bidding has topped $10,000 for this tintype of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Image courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee Inc.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Internet bidding is heating up for a new view of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

A tintype that shows a rare angle of the oft-photographed general was recently donated to Goodwill in Murfreesboro and The Tennessean reports the picture could set a record for the thrift’s online bidding site.

It was already up to $10,000 Monday and if that figure holds up, it will set a new mark.

Larry Hicklen, a Civil War memorabilia store owner, said he had a “holy smokes!” moment when he saw the anonymously donated tintype.

“I knew the picture was old, with all the traits of a tintype. It was the right era, not something cranked out in 1961,” said Hicklen, who owns Middle Tennessee Civil War Relics in Murfreesboro.

“When I blew it up, the clarity of the image, it was not in perfect focus, so it’s a picture of a picture, which is something they did a lot back then. But the thing that is getting the collectors excited is the view of Lee.”

The tintype was offered for a minimum bid of $4 and more than 2,500 people had viewed it by Friday morning. The auction continues through Wednesday.

Suzanne Kay-Pittman, Goodwill’s manager for public relations and communication, said the single highest-priced item sold ononlinegoodwill.com was an early 1900s watercolor that sold for $7,500 in 2009 to a museum in New Orleans.

Proceeds from the tintype sale will go to Goodwill’s Middle Tennessee operations.

“Several Civil War museums have been notified that we have the piece up for auction and may be involved with the bidding,” Kay-Pittman said.

Online:

http://www.shopgoodwill.com

Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

AP-WF-09-04-11 0103GMT

 

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