This 1776 broadside edition was created to disseminate America’s founding document to the public.
A rare broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence is being auctioned at Sotheby’s today, and is expected to fetch between $2 and $4 million.
Dated to July 1776, this edition was created to disseminate the founding document to the public. It’s one of only ten examples of this particular printing known to have survived, “most of which are now tucked away in prestigious institutional collections,” says the Observer.
“This rare printing of the Declaration of Independence is a cornerstone of American history, offering a glimpse into the transformative moment when the United States declared its independence,” says Kalika Sands, Sotheby’s head of books and manuscripts for the Americas. “[This] broadside, one of the earliest versions to reach the public, not only captures the bold spirit of a nation in its infancy but also stands as a timeless emblem of American heritage.”
After the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, the manuscript was sent to the Congress’ official printer, John Dunlap, who “evidently spent the evening … setting the Declaration in type,” per the lot listing. These copies were distributed across the colonies, where local printers produced their own versions.
Experts say the broadside at Sotheby’s was made by one of those printers: Robert Luist Fowle of Exeter, New Hampshire.
If this broadside hits its estimate, it will become one of the most expensive copies of the Declaration ever sold. The most expensive version was sold in 2000 at Sotheby’s for $8.1 million. Another copy sold for $3.4 million last year.