Rare Printed Archetype of the United States Constitution to Auction

Going under the hammer at Brunk Auctions this weekend is a rare original printed, signed archetype of the Constitution of the United States which was recently discovered after being tucked away for generations at Hayes Plantation in Edenton, North Carolina, an 1821 National Historic Landmark.

In 1787, the United States in Congress Assembled was tasked with the ratification of the new Constitution. It fell to Charles Thomson - Secretary of the Confederation Congress whose signature can be seen on this document - to see to ratification. He ordered the issuance of the printed archetype for sending to the legislatures of the original states for ratification. Only 100 archetype Constitutions were printed in New York, by McLean, between September 28t and 29, 1787. Of those, only a fraction were signed by the Secretary of the Congress, Charles Thomson. 

Until now, only eight of those signed copies were known to have survived the ages. The Brunk document is the ninth. While the signed version of the constitution is on display in the National Archives, it is this simple looking version that actually allowed for ratification.

Other highlights of the September 28 sale from the same cache include:

• a rare first edition of the Articles of Confederation published in 1776 and bearing the name of Joseph Hewes
• a printing of the 1808 Price-Strother Map of North Carolina, one of only a dozen known
• Thomas Jefferson and John Adams related documents, North Carolina and Georgia ephemera, colonial currency, and early silver