One of two privately-owned original copies of the U.S. Constitution to be auctioned off

Sotheby’s announced this week that it will soon auction off one of only two privately-owned original copies of the United States Constitution.

The rare document, of which there are only thirteen copies in the world, is one of two that are owned by private owners, and the other was sold at auction last year for $43.2 million, setting a record for the most valuable document ever auctioned off.

The copy of the document that will be up for auction this December. The last time this particular copy was sold at auction was in the late 1800s. 

“The unprecedented sale result we achieved for the Constitution last November was a truly unique and inspired moment,” said Richard Austin, Global Head of Books and Manuscripts at Sotheby’s.

“[A moment] that signifies not only the extreme rarity of first printing copies of the Constitution available for private ownership, but also the enduring importance and influence of the Constitution as the ultimate expression of the democratic principles that inform our daily lives more than 200 years since it was first written,” Austin said.

He added, “A year later after the record-breaking sale, we hope the remarkable opportunity to acquire one of two privately owned copies of the Constitution will inspire a similar response that galvanized the public last year.”

The auction is scheduled for December 13, 2022.