Every dedicated denizen of flea markets and yard sales dreams of this happening:

Bruce Steiner of South Amherst, Ohio, may have bought president Abraham Lincoln's last signature at a flea market.

The Morning Journal of northern Ohio has the story.

Steiner's find — it reads, "Let this man enter with this note. April 14, 1865. A. Lincoln" — was in a box of papers he bought in October. 2006. That date is significant. It's the day Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater in Washington.

According to the Morning Journal:

Local historical societies refused to return his e-mails and phone calls, but Steiner may have the last laugh. An expert at the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, a preservation project at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., believes the item is authentic.

John Lupton, associate director of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, said the handwriting analysis he performed on the sample isn't an exact science.

If the document is real, it's likely worth $20,000 or so.

Check All Things Considered later today for more on the story. Click here to find an NPR station near you.

Update at 4:25 p.m. ET. Indeed, ATC's Robert Siegel has spoken with Lupton from the Lincoln Library and to Steiner. Here's a clip from their conversation. The first voice is Lupton's. There will be more on the show later:

After Robert's interview, I called Steiner to ask whether he knows where the person he bought the letter from obtained it. Steiner said no, he didn't ask — and he hasn't seen that person at the flea market since then.