US Constitution: Long-Lost Copy Found in Filing Cabinet

The document is one of around 100 copies ordered on 28 September 1787 - only eight of which are known to have survived.

This rare copy of the Constitution was signed by then Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson | Brunk Auctions

The document resurfaced two years ago during an estate cleanout in North Carolina, buried among strewn-about chairs and a worn bookcase. The text once belonged to Samuel Johnston, who served as North Carolina’s governor from 1787 to 1789.

“It has been a whirlwind - an incredibly exciting moment for the auction house,” Nan Zander, Brunk Auctions’ fine art specialist, told Artnet. “We always check on the rarity and authenticity of documents, but when it is this rare, the game steps up exponentially. It’s the prize of all prizes for rare historic documents, and the sky is the limit as far as bidding goes.”

The historic text bears the signature of Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress, who ordered the 100 copies. He signed a handful of them, which were then sent to the original 13 states to begin the ratification process.

Online bidding began at $1 million, and the final sale will take place, rather poetically, on 28 September. According to the item’s lot listing, the document is in “good overall” condition with “expected wear,” such as “light staining.”

In 2021, Sotheby’s sold a different copy of the Constitution - a rare first printing made for the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention - for a record-breaking $43.2 million. However, Brunk Auctions think the version up for sale now could potentially fetch even more.

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