Lincoln Real or wishful thinking ?

[TNBandit]

This popped up this morning in my notifications for an online auction site I spend too much time on. I would think if this is real it would be priceless. But the provenance only goes back to 1945. That's a bit too sketchy for me. Anyone here brave enough to pull the trigger on it (pun intended) and roll the dice that you can prove it's real ? Has anyone even heard this story before ? https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/119071842_child-sized-rifle-gifted-from-abraham-lincoln-to-son

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Your holiday timing is great! Good riff off the Red Ryder BB Gun!

 

[connecticut yankee]

Very suspicious at best. Highly likely it is a fake.

1. Large, bold engraving on the stock is crazy. Why would the Lincolns engrave the stock this way? Why engrave at all?!?
2. "MY dearest son" should read "OUR dearest son". Wouldn't the gift more likely have been from Mary Todd Lincoln also?
3. Auction description is poor. It reads August 2, 1855 as Robert's 12th birthday which is in error. Robert was born August 1, 1843. Also, the auction description fails to identify the 1945 dealer who sold it and fails to show the papers that will supposedly accompany the gun upon sale.

Again, the lack of a complete provenance makes this item very questionable .