Going, going, gone!

This rare copy of the U.S. Constitution is 237 years old. Last week, it sold for nine million dollars.

Brunk Auctions sold the document in Asheville, North Carolina. The sale took almost no time at all—just seven minutes. Bidders called in by phone. After the bid rose to eight and a half million, there was a pause. Then someone bid nine million. 

Another pause. Then, sold to the highest bidder!

The auction was originally set for September 28. The auction house delayed the sale because Hurricane Helene left major damage in Asheville and the surrounding area.

In 1987, the Constitutional Convention took place. People met to create a system of government for the new United States. The Framers of the Constitution had this copy printed. They sent it out with other copies. Each state needed to approve the new law. (The Framers were the men who created the government framework. They included Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.)

About 100 copies were made. Only eight are known to still exist. 

Where has this copy been hiding all these years? We don’t know for sure. But we do know where it was found. Two years ago, people were clearing out a property in eastern North Carolina. North Carolina governor Samuel Johnston once owned the home. Chairs and a dusty bookcase filled one old room. The Constitution lay inside a metal filing cabinet.

The paper also holds a letter from George Washington. It asks states to approve the Constitution.

A copy like this hasn’t sold since 1891. The last one sold for $400. Today, that would be about $14,000.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. — Romans 13:1