A draft manuscript of Henry David Thoreau's The Assabet is set to lead at RR Auction, with bidding standing at $8,386.

The sale closes on November 12.

The lot dates to July 18, 1839 and was sent to Ellen Sewall - a woman with whom he fell deeply in love, but who ultimately rejected his advances.

Thoreau wrote The Assabet in 1839

This is primarily due to the influence of her father, a Unitarian who took issue with Thoreau's transcendentalist philosophies.

The title refers to a river near his home in Massachusetts where he would often spend his time boating.

Bidding on a cheque signed by Abraham Lincoln starts at $7,667.

The lot dates to 1860 bears the title of Lincoln's bank, the Springfield Marine and Fire Insurance Company. It's a request to withdraw $50.

On the date of the withdrawal, November 21, the newly elected president got on a train to Chicago with his wife. It was there that he met his vice president, Hannibal Hamlin, for the first time.

Lincoln is a defining figure in the history of the US, with the result that signed material is in high demand. A handwritten note sold for $16,000 at RR Auction earlier this year.

We have these fragments of wallpaper from Lincoln's bedroom in Springfield, Illinois.

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