Seth Kaller, a distinguished historical document appraiser and collector, carefully unfurled a broad sheet of paper across a desk. Despite being nearly 237 years old and having spent an unknown amount of time inside a filing cabinet in North Carolina, the document remained in surprisingly good condition. With minimal creases and slight discolorations, Kaller was able to handle it with clean, bare hands.
At the top of the first page were the familiar words, “WE, the People …,” but printed in regular type instead of the Gothic script commonly associated with such historical texts.
This particular copy of the U.S. Constitution – believed to be the only one of its type in private hands – will be auctioned by Brunk Auctions on September 28 in Asheville, North Carolina. The auction has already received a minimum bid of $1 million, with no specific reserve price set.
This document was printed after the Constitutional Convention had finished drafting the nation’s governing framework in 1787. It was sent to the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, asking them to forward it to the states for ratification. One of approximately 100 copies printed by Charles Thomson, the secretary of that Congress, only eight are known to still exist; the other seven are publicly owned.
Thomson likely certified two copies for each of the original 13 states, sending them to special ratifying conventions. There, male representatives deliberated for months before agreeing to the structure of the United States government that endures today.
Auctioneer Andrew Brunk emphasized the historical significance of the document: “This is the point of connection between the government and the people. The Preamble — ‘we the people’ — this is the moment the government is asking the people to empower them.”
The journey of the document from Thomson’s signature to 2022 is largely a mystery. Two years ago, a property in Edenton, eastern North Carolina, was being cleared out. Once owned by Samuel Johnston, North Carolina’s governor from 1787 to 1789, it was inside a neglected room stacked with old chairs and a dusty bookcase that the document was found in a metal filing cabinet. The broad sheet could be folded once like a book.
Kaller, who frequently appraises, buys, and sells historic documents, described the discovery: “I get calls every week from people who think they have a Declaration of Independence or a Gettysburg Address, and most of the time it is just a replica. But every so often, something important gets found.”
Included with the Constitution on the broad sheet printed front and back is a letter from George Washington requesting ratification. Washington acknowledged that compromise was necessary and that some state rights would need to be sacrificed for the nation’s long-term well-being. He wrote, “To secure all rights of independent sovereignty to each and yet provide for the interest and safety for all – individuals entering into society must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest.”
Predicting the auction’s outcome is tricky due to a lack of comparable sales. The most recent sale of a similar document was in 1891 for $400. In 2021, Sotheby’s sold one of only 14 remaining copies of the Constitution printed for the Continental Congress for $43.2 million – a record for a book or document.
However, that document was intended for the Founding Fathers as delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The signed copy up for auction this month was meant to be sent to state leaders so that citizens nationwide could review and decide on their government, thus connecting the Constitution’s drafters with the people who would provide its power and legitimacy.
The auction listing does not identify the seller but notes it is part of a privately held collection.
Other historical items available at the Asheville auction include a 1776 first draft of the Articles of Confederation and a 1788 Journal of the Convention of North Carolina at Hillsborough, where representatives spent two weeks debating whether ratifying the Constitution would overly centralize power at the national level.
