In 1787, the United States Congress agreed to send copies of the Constitution for the people to ratify. The New York printer, John McLean, hurriedly cranked out 100 copies of the four-page folio and dispatched them to the 13 states. Today, only eight such documents are known to exist. One of these sold at Brunk Auctions, in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 17 for $9 million.
The so-called Printed Archetype of the Constitution made a surprise appearance two years ago in North Carolina, when people were clearing out the Hayes Plantation, a property once owned by Samuel Johnston. In addition to serving as the state’s governor and senator, Johnston had presided over North Carolina’s convention to ratify the constitution.
The signed page of the U.S. Constitution sent to states. Photo: courtesy: Brunk Auctions.
It was found inside a metal filing cabinet in a rarely-used room and the hypothesis is that this copy was likely collected by someone in the Johnston family. Adding to its value is the fact it’s signed on the fourth page by the then-secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, something of a rarity for reasons that remain unclear.
The record price paid for a copy of the Constitution is the $43.2 million paid by hedge fund manager Ken Griffin in 2021.
The auction was originally due to take place on September 28, but was delayed on account of the damage dealt to Asheville and western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene. In addition to the copy of the Constitution, there were eight further lots, all centered on the early history of the United States. All but one lot broke its high estimate with the auction pulling in $10.5 million.
Another leading lot was a first draft of 1776’s Articles of Confederation, in which John Dickinson drew from the writings of Benjamin Franklin and tried to establish the functions of the national government in the wake of the Revolutionary War. While it is believed there were originally 80 copies printed, there is no record of one previously appearing on the market and it sold for $1 million, well above its high estimate of $200,000.
Unknown German painter, Washington Crossing the Delaware (1850s). Courtesy: Brunk Auctions.
A period copy of Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze’s famous painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851), sold for $250,000, smashing its pre-sale estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. The copying of historical paintings was a common and cost-effective practice in the 19th century for those wishing to acquire images of celebrated individuals or events. The Leutze copy is believed to have been executed by a German artist who had access to the second version of the painting, now owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 2022, a smaller version by Leutze of the iconic scene of the American Revolution sold at Christie’s for $45 million.