An incredibly rare piece of American history, a copy of the US constitution printed 237 years ago and distributed to the states for approval, fetched an astounding $9m at an auction held in North Carolina.
Brunk Auctions managed the sale of this unique document, believed to be the only privately owned copy of its kind, during a discreet auction event. The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed at this time.
The bidding process lasted just over seven minutes, with bids primarily made via phone in increments of $500,000. Tension rose as bids reached $8.5m before finally hitting $9m after a brief pause.
“Just another second or two. Savor it a little bit selling here at $9m,” remarked Andrew Brunk, the auctioneer overseeing the proceedings.
View image in fullscreenA Brunk auction employee waits to see if a bidder on the phone raise the bid for the rare document. Photograph: Jeffrey Collins/AP
Brunk expressed gratitude for successfully conducting the auction despite delays caused by Hurricane Helene’s aftermath in Asheville and western North Carolina.
“It’s truly an honor to have facilitated this sale. It has been quite an extraordinary journey,” shared Brunk.
This particular copy was produced following the constitutional convention’s completion of drafting America’s governmental framework in 1787. It was then submitted to Congress under the articles of confederation for distribution among states for ratification by citizens.
Out of approximately 100 copies printed by Charles Thomson, secretary of that Congress, only eight are known to exist today – with this being privately owned while others are publicly held.Rare copy of US constitution up for auction expected to sell for millionsRead more
Thomson likely signed duplicates intended for each original state as certification documents.<What transpired between Thomson’s endorsement and its appearance at Thursday’s auction remains shrouded in mystery until now.<A couple years back during property clearance at Samuel Johnston’s former residence in Edenton (eastern North Carolina), where he served as governor from 1787 to 1789 overseeing ratification conventions,The document was discovered inside an old metal filing cabinet amidst disarrayed furniture before preservation efforts began on Johnston’s estate.<This broad sheet containing both sides printed with constitution text also includes George Washington’s letter urging ratification while acknowledging necessary compromises and sacrifices from individual states towards national unity and prosperity.<The high-stakes bidding didn’t stop with just this historic piece; another significant purchase included a watermarked first draft from 1776 detailing articles under confederation that sold for $1m.<Additionally sold was a journal documenting North Carolina representatives’ debates on constitution ratification back in Hillsborough during 1788 which went…
2024-10-18 16:29:52
Source from www.theguardian.com