Rare 237-Year-Old US Constitution Sells for $9 Million

A rare 237-year-old copy of the U.S. Constitution was sold for $9 million at a private auction held by Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 17. This specific copy, believed to be the only privately owned one of its kind, was printed in 1787 and is one of only eight surviving copies, with the others held in public collections. The auction lasted just over seven minutes, with bids predominantly made over the phone in increments of $50,000. The document was discovered in 2022 inside a neglected filing cabinet at a property once owned by Samuel Johnston, the governor of North Carolina during the Constitution's ratification. Along with the Constitution, a letter from George Washington urging the states to ratify it was included. The auction had been postponed from its original date due to Hurricane Helene impacting the region.