Signed Ratification Copy of the U.S. Constitution to Sell at Brunk Auctions

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” So begins the United States Constitution, establishing the principles and structures of the new country’s federal government. An official signed ratification copy of this important document will soon be available with Brunk Auctions. The company’s September 28, 2024 sale marks the first time a privately held signed ratification copy has entered the auction market since 1891. 

The available U.S. Constitution copy is a broadsheet printed on September 28, 1787, one of just 100 copies printed in New York by John McLean for Dunlap and Claypoole of Philadelphia. Beyond the full text of the document, this copy includes a statement indicating that the Constitution should be sent to the Confederation Congress for approval. It is signed by Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress. This carefully preserved copy was passed down through the Hayes Plantation of Edenton, North Carolina, a farm that was once home to the state’s governor, Samuel Johnston. He supervised the state’s convention to ratify the Constitution. The available document lingered in the Plantation’s archives for centuries before being rediscovered in 2022. 

Born in Ireland, Charles Thomson was an immigrant who later became a leader of the American Revolution. He was a prominent figure in Philadelphia, and Thomson eventually served as the secretary of the Continental Congress. He played a critical role in documenting the Congress’ deliberations and decisions, providing continuity despite frequent absences and turnover among the delegates. Thomson’s signature on this document indicates that it was a copy intended for ratification and distribution by the states. He signed only a few of the 100 printed copies. 

Ratification was a crucial step in the development of the U.S. Constitution. It gave the American people an opportunity to vote for and decide upon their own government. Nevertheless, the journey to ratification was difficult. Ratification by nine of the 13 original states was required. Heated debates raged for months, fueling budding political factions. The push for ratification eventually gave rise to The Federalist Papers, a collection of articles and essays promoting the U.S. Constitution and laying out the principles of American government. The essays are now considered a cornerstone of American political science. 

The text of this U.S. Constitution includes a note from George Washington urging states to balance their individual interests with the collective good. He notes, “In all our deliberations on this subject we kept steadily in our view, that which appears to us the greatest interest of every true American, the consolidation of our Union, in which is involved our prosperity, felicity, safety, perhaps our national existence. [… T]hus the Constitution, which we now present, is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable.”

This ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution comes to auction with a starting bid of USD 1 million, which has already been met. While a ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution has not been sold at auction in over a century, similar copies have fetched millions in recent years. Sotheby’s sold a copy that was printed for the Continental Congress for $43.2 million in 2021. 

Beyond this copy of the Constitution, Brunk Auctions’ September sale will also present a first draft of the Articles of Confederation from 1776 (lot #1501; estimate: $100,000 – $200,000), a circa 1788 journal of the Convention of North Carolina, which debated the U.S. Constitution (lot #1504; estimate: $7,000 – $10,000), and several other signed letters, pamphlets, and printed ordinances. Live bidding will begin at 2:00 PM EDT on September 28, 2024. Visit Bidsquare to browse the full catalog and register to bid. 

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