DANVILLE (AP) – Those in the market for a rare 139-year-old portrait of Abraham Lincoln and his family might want to pay a visit Monday to this small central Illinois city.

That’s because Vernie Thomas is putting much of his extensive collection of Lincoln memorabilia on the auction block.

The engraved portrait of the nation’s 16th president with his family dates back to 1865 and was sold as a souvenir after his death.

The picture is not just a rarity because of its age, though. The Lincolns were known to have never taken a family portrait and the picture is actually a combination of two photographs. One is of his sons Tad and Abraham and the other photograph is of Robert Todd, another son, and the president’s wife, Mary.

Thomas said he and his wife have run out of space for the collection.

“We have two homes and they’re both filled,” he said. “It’s time to let someone else enjoy them.”

Thomas said he began collecting Lincoln memorabilia when he was a young boy.

One of the books being auctioned, “The Life of Lincoln,” which was published in 1874, Thomas has owned since he was 11.

He decided to scale down the collection when his company, which displayed many of the items at its headquarters, moved to a new building.

“I hate to sell it, but I can’t keep all of it,” Thomas said.

Other items include several bronze busts of Lincoln, a copy of a New York newspaper that was published on the morning after Lincoln’s assassination and a pair of boots that apparently belonged to one of Lincoln’s son.

Lenhart Auctions of Georgetown will conduct the auction at 10 a.m. Monday.