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Rare copy of US Constitution found in filing cabinet sells for $9M at auction

A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution found in a filing cabinet sold at auction this week for $9 million.

It took just seven minutes for the nearly 237-year-old document to sell for the high price, said Andrew Blank, owner of Blank Auctions. he told CBS News.

Auction booklet next to a signed copy of the Official Ratification Instrument of the United States Constitution by Blank Auctions. Julian Lechey Guadalupe, Julian Lechey Guadalupe/USA TODAY NETWORK, via Imagn Images

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.

Blank Auction employees were waiting for bidders to call to confirm if they wanted to bid during Thursday's auction. AP

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 farm in Edenton, CBS reported.

When Constitution was discovered, the property had been sold to the state and was being vacated.

A copy of the Constitution was discovered in a centuries-old plantation file cabinet. AP

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.

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