Rare copy of US Constitution found in filing cabinet sells for $9M at auction
A rare copy of the US Constitution that was found inside a filing cabinet sold for $9 million at auction this week.
It took just seven minutes for the nearly 237-year-old document to clinch its hammer price, Andrew Brunk, the owner of Brunk Auctions, told CBS News.
Most bids were placed over the phone, while two came in online and one buyer was at the North Carolina auction in person, Brunk said.
The final price, including the buyer’s premium, was $11,070,000. The buyer will remain anonymous.
The document was originally set to go for sale on Sept. 28, but was delayed due to Hurricane Helene.
“To go from a filing cabinet in Edenton, North Carolina, to being sold for $11 million is quite a journey,” Brunk said.
The copy was found in an unassuming metal filing cabinet at Hayes Farm, a 184-acre plantation site in Edenton in 2022, CBS reported.
The property was being cleared after being sold to the state when the Constitution was discovered.
Hayes Farm was owned by Samuel Johnston – the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 – who oversaw the state convention that ratified the Constitution.
The copy found on the property is one of only a handful of copies remaining from the originals that Congress sent to the states for ratification.
