First Printing of the Constitution , Sells at Auction for , Record-Breaking $43.2 Million.
At a November 18 auction, a rare first printing of the
United States Constitution sold for $43.2 million, a record amount for any document or book sold at auction. .
At a November 18 auction, a rare first printing of the
United States Constitution sold for $43.2 million, a record amount for any document or book sold at auction. .
ABC reports that the historic document was sold at Sotheby's in New York to an anonymous bidder. .
The unknown winner of the auction
outbid a group of 17,000 people who
crowdfunded to buy it over the last week. .
According to ABC, the rare document was
one of just 13 first printings of the Constitution. .
It is also one of only two held by private individuals. .
The printing was last sold in 1988 to real estate developer S. Howard Goldman for $165,000. .
ABC reports that proceeds from the record-breaking sale will benefit a foundation established to further the understanding of constitutional principles. .
The foundation was established by Goldman's widow, Dorothy Tapper Goldman. .
Tonight’s sale of this exceptionally
rare and important printing of the
Constitution was a monumental
and historic occasion, Selby Kiffer, Sotheby’s senior international
specialist for books and manuscripts, via ABC.
The previous record for a book or manuscript
sold at auction was set in 1994 by Bill Gates.
At a Christie's auction, Gates purchased the 'Codex Leicester' by Leonardo da Vinci for $30.8 million