A rare copy of the US Constitution, printed 237 years ago and sent to the states for ratification, is set to go under the hammer in North Carolina. Brunk Auctions is handling the sale of this unique item, believed to be the only copy of its kind in private ownership. The bidding is expected to start at a minimum of $1 million with no preset final price.
This particular copy of the Constitution was printed after the Constitutional Convention finalised the draft in 1787. It was then forwarded to the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, urging them to distribute it to the states for ratification by the people. Only about 100 copies were printed by Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Congress, and out of the eight known surviving copies, this is the only one not in public possession.
It is speculated that Thomson may have signed two copies for each of the 13 original states, essentially authenticating them. The history of the document being auctioned is unclear until it resurfaced in 2022 during a property clearance in Edenton, North Carolina. The copy was discovered inside an old filing cabinet in the former residence of Samuel Johnston, the state’s governor from 1787 to 1789, who oversaw the state’s ratification process.
Accompanying the Constitution is a letter from George Washington advocating for ratification, acknowledging the necessity of compromise and the relinquishment of certain state rights for the greater good of the nation. Due to the scarcity of comparable items, auction officials are uncertain about the potential value of the document. The last known sale of a Constitution copy distributed to states fetched $400 in 1891, while a similar item sold for a record $43.2 million in 2021.
Other historical pieces up for auction in Asheville include a 1776 draft of the Articles of Confederation and a journal from the 1788 North Carolina Convention at Hillsborough. The delay of the auction from its original date of Sept. 28 was due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which wrought havoc in Asheville and the surrounding areas.