237-year-old Rare Document, Found While Cleaning, Now Auctioned For Millions

No surprise can top the unexpected money found in the jeans pocket or a rare document found during house cleaning. A similar incident unfolded when a man started cleaning a house in North Carolina, America. While wiping the dust away from corners of the house, the man spotted a secret drawer. Astonished by its presence, the man opened the drawer to find a rare document worth over Rs 300 crore in the market if auctioned. It was the oldest copy of the American Constitution. In 2021, a rare original copy of this document was sold at auction for Rs 360 crore. As per the media reports, Samuel Johnston lived in this house. He was the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789. In the last months of his tenure, a conference was held in North Carolina, in which the American Constitution was approved. The Constitution was then sent to the American Congress. Charles Thomson, the secretary of the American Congress at that time, had 100 copies of the Constitution printed. Only eight of these are present in America. Two copies each were sent to 13 states with Charles Thomson’s signature. One of these copies was found in Samuel Johnston’s house.

The man named Seth Kaller, who found the 237-year-old document while cleaning the house, appreciated the good condition of the document. He hinted at the possibility of its restoration. It has just a few folds and small spots.

“Ever since I got this document, I have been getting calls from people every week. People think that the points announced during the Declaration of Independence are written in it. Some people even offer us money for it. It’s worth is higher. This document also has a letter from George Washington, in which he has talked about the approval of the Constitution,” said Seth Kaller.

Auctioneer Andrew Brunk said that this is a historical document. It contains the preamble of US constitution. The document captures the moment the American Constitution was made. The document is set to be auctioned at one million. In 1891, a copy of this was sold for $ 400 (Rs 33,574). In 2021, Sotheby’s of New York sold a similar copy for $ 43.2 million i.e. Rs 362 crore.