A first edition copy of the US Constitution from 1787 – one of only two still in private ownership – will be auctioned by Sotheby’s next month and is expected to fetch up to $30 million. About 500 original copies of the Constitution were printed for the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Thirteen of them still exist, 11 of which are on public display in various locations, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library of Congress, the Delaware Hall of Records, and the Huntington Library. Sotheby’s Books & Manuscripts specialist Richard Austin handles one of only two private copies of the official version of the Constitution of the United States of America. (Reuters/Mike Segar/Reuters Photos) One of only two privately owned copies of the Constitution will go up for auction. (Reuters/Mike Segar/Reuters Photos) Last year, Sotheby’s auctioned the only other privately held copy for $43.2 million to Chicago hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin, who loaned it to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. MARILYN MONROE COLLECTOR REVEALS WHY LATE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND IS MORE PRECIOUS 60 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH Griffin had to bid on ConstitutionDAO, a decentralized organization that raised over $40 million worth of cryptocurrency for the auction. “The unprecedented sale result we achieved for the Constitution last November was a truly unique and inspiring moment – one that suggests not only the extraordinary rarity of early copies of the Constitution available for private ownership, but also their enduring importance and influence of the Constitution as the ultimate expression of the democratic principles that have informed our daily lives for more than 200 years since it was first written,” Richard Austin, Sotheby’s global head of books and manuscripts, said in a statement. A portion of one of only two known copies of the official version of the Constitution of the United States of America. (Reuters/Mike Segar/Reuters Photos) The only other privately held copy of the US Constitution was auctioned for $43.2 million last year. (Reuters/Mike Segar/Reuters Photos) GET THE FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The edition going up for auction next month last appeared at auction in 1984 in Philadelphia, when it was acquired as a gift for Adrian Van Sinderen. “One year on from the record sale, we hope that the remarkable opportunity to acquire one of two privately owned copies of the Constitution will inspire a similar response that thrilled the public last year,” Austin said.
