A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution found in a filing cabinet sold at auction this week for $9 million.
Andrew Blank, owner of Blank Auctions, told CBS News that it took just seven minutes for the nearly 237-year-old document to sell for a high price.
Blank said most of the bids were made by phone, but two were made online and one buyer attended the auction in North Carolina in person.
The final price, including buyer’s premium, was $11.07 million. Purchasers remain anonymous.
The document was originally scheduled for release on September 28th, but was postponed due to Hurricane Helen.
“It’s quite a journey from a filing cabinet in Edenton, North Carolina, to being sold for $11 million,” Blank said.
The copy was discovered in 2022 in an unassuming metal file cabinet at Hayes Farm, a 184-acre plantation property in Edenton, CBS reported.
When Constitution was discovered, the property had been sold to the state and was being vacated.
Hayes Farm was owned by Samuel Johnston, who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789. He oversaw the state conventions that ratified the Constitution.
The copy found on the property is one of the few remaining copies of the original that Congress sent to the states for approval.
