Rare 237-Year-Old Copy of the U.S. Constitution Set for Auction

Source: Douglas Sacha / Getty

A 237-year-old copy of the U.S. Constitution is hitting the auction block in North Carolina. Printed in 1787 after the Constitutional Convention, this copy was sent to the states for ratification.

Brunk Auctions is managing the sale, with the bidding already starting at $1 million.

The document is one of approximately 100 printed by Charles Thomson, secretary of the Congress operating under the Articles of Confederation. Out of these, only eight copies are known to have survived.

Included with the Constitution is a letter from George Washington, urging states to accept the new framework of government despite necessary compromises. Washington emphasized that some state powers would need to be relinquished for the country’s long-term success.

Source: Photo 12 / Getty

The auction was initially scheduled for September 28 but was postponed due to the impact of Hurricane Helene. Auction officials aren’t sure what the final price will be. The last recorded sale of a similar copy was in 1891 for $400. More recently, in 2021, Sotheby’s sold another Constitution copy for a record $43.2 million.

Source: Douglas Sacha / Getty

The auction website describes the auction this way.

“We are pleased to offer for auction the only located privately held Official Signed Ratification Copy of the United States Constitution. Among the most important documents ever offered at auction, this humble looking document is the very cornerstone of our democracy. This nine-lot auction also includes an important 1776 first draft of the Articles of Confederation; a Charles Thomson Signed Congressional Ordinance Defining His Own Duties; a period copy of Emanuel Leutze’s iconic Washington Crossing the Delaware; and five other important early American documents.”