A historic signed ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution, discovered in a North Carolina farmhouse in 2022, is poised to attract significant interest at auction this weekend, with experts predicting it could sell for tens of millions. The document, believed to be the only such copy in private hands, was found in a dusty filing cabinet at Hayes Farm, Edenton, once the home of North Carolina’s post-Revolutionary War governor, Samuel Johnston.
Hayes Farm has a history of yielding rare artifacts. In 1983, a copy of the Declaration of Independence was discovered on the property and sold for $412,500 to Williams College a decade later. Now, this latest find—a single-page ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution—will go under the hammer at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday.
The Constitution, dating back to 1787, carries the signature of Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, who certified the document for ratification by the states. According to Seth Kaller, a Westchester-based historic document dealer currently overseeing its safekeeping, the discovery is nothing short of remarkable. “It’s super spectacular,” Kaller remarked, describing the document’s significance.
A Piece of Constitutional History
The U.S. Constitution was drafted during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, with 39 out of 55 delegates signing it on September 17 of that year—a day now known as Constitution Day. After its completion, 100 copies were printed, two for each state, to be ratified by the respective legislatures. This particular copy, signed by Thomson, was sent to North Carolina and represents a pivotal piece in the nation’s foundational history.
A brochure from Brunk Auctions provides additional context: “It is that resolution, along with Thomson’s signature, that makes the present copy one of the true official editions of the Constitution as it went to the states for ratification.”
What distinguishes this copy is its connection to Samuel Johnston, North Carolina’s governor from 1787 to 1789. The document remained in the family’s possession until 1865, eventually passing to the Wood family, who owned the farm until 2022. It was during a recent cleanup of the estate that the Constitution was unearthed, complete with a faint margin note beside Article V—believed to be related to the state’s insistence on the Bill of Rights before ratifying the document.
A Rare Opportunity for Collectors
The auction’s opening bid is set at $1 million, though experts believe the final price could soar far beyond that. In 2021, a copy of the Constitution printed just days before this document sold for $43.2 million, setting a record for a historic document. That particular copy was one of 14 known from a 500-print run, but the current auction piece is from a smaller batch of just 100, of which only eight are known to exist today.
“The starting point is a million,” Kaller noted. “Do I think it’ll sell for more than 10 million? Yes. Do I think it will sell for more than 20 million? Possibly.”
The Living ‘Technology’ of the Constitution
Kaller sees the Constitution not just as a relic of history but as a living document with relevance today. He often refers to the Constitution’s framework as a form of “technology”—a system designed to solve the political challenges of its time and to evolve with the country. “They didn’t write this as just history,” Kaller said. “I care about it because it’s technology, because it still works.”
He emphasized the document’s spirit of compromise, particularly in the letter written by George Washington accompanying the Constitution. Washington’s words, urging states and individuals to make concessions for the greater good, resonate strongly with Kaller. “If people today could realize that—and not make compromise a bad thing—where parties come together in the middle and understand exactly what Washington said, it would be eye-opening.”
As the auction date approaches, this rare piece of American history is set to make headlines once again, capturing the attention of collectors, historians, and citizens alike.
