/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/6144c92093aa0e4c1d537b2d/0x0.jpg)
[ad_1]
Top line
An extremely rare original copy of the United States Constitution – one of 11 that has survived – is set to be auctioned this fall, Sotheby’s announced on Friday, and could sell for more than 100 times what it had been for. last time in 1988.
A first edition of the Constitution on display at Sotheby’s in New York on September 17, 2021. … [+]
Getty Images
Highlights
The “extremely rare” document is estimated to be worth around $ 15-20 million, according to a statement shared with Forbes.
It is one of 11 surviving copies of the 500 originals printed in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention.
The charter will be auctioned off by the Sotheby’s New York branch in November along with a number of other related pieces.
The announcement was made on Constitution Day, the 234th anniversary of the signing of the document by the founding fathers.
Surprising fact
The copy is in the collection of Dorothy Tapper Goldman, whose late husband Howard bought it in 1988 for only $ 165,000. The remaining 10 are all held by institutions.
Key context
The Constitution was drafted in 1787 and ratified the following year. The original is on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Sotheby’s specialist Selby Kiffer described the Goldman Constitution as “one of the rarest and most coveted historical documents ever to be auctioned.” In 2012, George Washington’s personal copy of the Constitution sold for $ 9.8 million at auction in New York City, a record at the time.
What to watch out for
The copy of the Constitution will be on display to the public until September 19 at Sotheby’s in New York. After that, it will air in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas before returning to the city.
Further reading
“Sotheby’s auctions rare copy of US Constitution“(Associated press)
“Sotheby’s to auction the first rare edition of the US Constitution“(Reuters)
[ad_2]
