Ever thought of owning history? Well, now you can for $20 million. A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution is going to be sold at auction:
This rare copy is one of the 11 original copies of the U.S. constitution that exist today. And the last time it was sold was back in 1988.
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The Constituion
Originally 500 copies of the Constitution were printed back in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention. These original copies were then handed out to delegates at the convention. Only 11 of these rare collectors’ items now survive. Out of these 11 copies, 10 are held by institutions, and only 1 is owned by a private collector.
This copy of the Constitution will be placed in an auction this November 2021, according to CNN. With estimates expected to reach values 100 times more than what a copy sold for back in 1988.
They estimate that this rare and original copy would sell for around $15 to $20 million. To put this into perspective, George Washington’s personal copy of the Constitution sold for $9.8 million in 2012. Also, in an auction held in New York. The price was the highest recorded for a collector item like that at the time.
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787 and then ratified the following year. The original is currently on display in the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. Other important documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights also accompany it in the museum.
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The Current Owner
This particular piece will be put in the auction by current owner Dorothy Tapper Goldman. Her late husband Howard bought it in 1988 for $165,000. In the past few decades since this first edition copy was purchased by the Goldman Family, it has been loaned out and displayed at several cultural institutions around the U.S. These include places like the U.S. Supreme Court and the New York Historical Society.
According to Selby Kiffer from Sotheby’s, this rare first edition copy is set to be the highlight of the auction.
“The Goldman Constitution ranks as one of the most rare and coveted historical documents that has ever come to auction. We are honored to present this incredibly important printing of the Constitution to the public timed to coincide with Constitution Day, which only further reinforces Mrs. Goldman’s longstanding commitment to supporting civics education.”
Selby Kiffer, Sotheby’s – via the Robb Report
Interesting fact, Selby Kiffer also handled the 1988 sale of the same original copy.
The document is planned to go on display in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas before it goes on sale in the auction on 23rd November. This sale is part of a larger sale of other historic American documents from the Goldman family.
These include things like an early copy of the Articles of the Confederation and an official printing of the Stamp Act.
The proceeds from the sale will go to the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation. This is a nonprofit organization that says that it aims to further the understanding of democracy and the role of citizens in it.
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