A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution, printed 237 years ago and sent to the states for ratification, is set to be auctioned in North Carolina. Brunk Auctions will oversee the sale of this unique copy, believed to be the only one of its kind in private possession. The bidding will start at $1 million, with no set minimum price required.
This particular copy was produced following the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was then dispatched to the Congress of the initial American government under the Articles of Confederation, with a request to forward it to the states for ratification by the populace. Approximately 100 copies were printed by Charles Thomson, the secretary of that Congress, with only eight known to still exist, all of which are publicly owned.
Thomson is presumed to have signed two copies for each of the original 13 states, effectively authenticating them. The whereabouts of the document up for auction between Thomson's endorsement and 2022 remain a mystery.
Two years ago, the copy was discovered in a property in Edenton, North Carolina, previously owned by Samuel Johnston, the state's governor from 1787 to 1789. The document was found in a neglected room, stored in a metal filing cabinet alongside old furniture and a dusty bookcase. It was a broad sheet that could be folded like a book, featuring the Constitution on one side and a letter from George Washington on the other, urging ratification and emphasizing the necessity of compromise for the nation's well-being.
The auction house is uncertain about the potential value of the document due to its rarity. The last known sale of a similar Constitution copy was in 1891 for $400. In 2021, Sotheby's auctioned one of only 14 remaining copies of the Constitution for $43.2 million, setting a record for the sale of a book or document.
Additional items up for auction in Asheville include a 1776 first draft of the Articles of Confederation and a 1788 Journal of the Convention of North Carolina, where representatives debated the balance of power between the nation and the states in relation to ratifying the Constitution.
The auction, originally scheduled for September 28, was postponed due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage in Asheville and the surrounding North Carolina mountains.
