A letter from Lizzie Borden has surfaced at auction. You can take a stab at owning it.

How much would you pay for the autograph of Fall River’s most notorious resident?

Boston-based RR Auction is currently selling an authentic letter from Lizzie Borden to an acquaintance in Fall River. The auction is being held online until Oct. 12, with the bidding at $1,612, as of Oct. 2.

The auction house has estimated the letter’s value at over $7,500.

The letter is “accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in Borden's hand, with the stamp clipped off. Housed in a custom-designed purple leather presentation folder, with a gilt-stamped spine and blind stamped 'L.B.' axe on the front," according to RR Auction.  

The letter was written in Lizzie’s spiky, elegant cursive, on personal letterhead dated Dec. 9, 1896 — years after the brutal slayings of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden, at their Second Street home in August 1892 and the sensationalist trial at which Lizzie was acquitted of their murders. The two had apparently been hacked to death by a hatchet, and the grisly details in contrast with Lizzie's prim, upper-class demeanor generated worldwide media interest. Its unsolved status still fascinates true-crime enthusiasts today.

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The Lizzie letter is a 'window into her personal life'

At the time of this letter, Lizzie and her sister, Emma Borden, were living at 306 French St. The 13-room Victorian house in the Highlands was not yet named Maplecroft — Lizzie would give it that name a few years after the turn of the century. The two lived out of the public eye, and largely shunned by polite society.

For anyone hoping the letter’s contents contain a vital clue to cracking the case, sorry — it's addressed to Miss Jennie F. Bras of 227 Whipple St., and seems to be a request for help with some project.

"I should be ready to see you Wednesday the sixteenth any time after five in the after-noon. Yes I am going to tie the pages and want your help. I would like to have you get the ribbon. Get as much and the width you want and let the color be 'royal purple' please." 

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A search of Fall River city directories published around this time shows no one by the name of Jennie F. Bras; it’s unclear who she was or what project the two were working on.

"The content of the letter appears to have something to do with, I think, perhaps a scrapbook or some pages of some sort that Lizzie appears to be planning on tying with purple ribbon," said Michael Martins, curator of the Fall River Historical Society.

"The content is not as significant as, let’s say, the letters that were sent from Lizzie’s prison cell or anything like that," Martins added. "It’s just a little more mundane, I think. It is still a window into her personal life."

A rare item for collectors

Martins said he believes this letter has been offered for sale by dealers in the past, and is now on the auction block.

The Fall River Historical Society maintains the world’s largest collection of material related to the life of Lizzie Borden, including photographs, letters, manuscripts, and personal items. Martins left open the possibility that this particular letter could find its way into the collection.

"It’s certainly not as important as others that have appeared on the market, but of course if it’s something that a donor was willing to acquire for the Historical Society, we of course would be interested," Martins said, "because our intent is to collect this material and make it public and available for research."

Any items from Lizzie’s life tend to be rare finds sought after by collectors.

"Over a century after the Borden murders, the mystery continues to hold the public's interest, making the demand for Lizzie's limited autograph material very high," said RR Auction Executive Vice President Bobby Livingston. "This is the first Lizzie Borden autograph letter we have offered in over five years." 

Bidding for the letter takes place at rrauctions.com.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Authentic Lizzie Borden letter up for auction at Boston-based house