Emily Chan
A rare, long-lost copy of the United States Constitution was found in a filing cabinet on a farm in North Carolina more than 200 years after it was drafted.
The document is one of roughly 100 copies that were created on September 28, 1787. Only eight are known to have survived—and this one was put up for auction at a high price.
This copy of the U.S. Constitution resurfaced in 2022 during an estate cleanout at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina.
The farm once belonged to Samuel Johnston, who served as the governor of North Carolina between 1787 and 1789.
In the past, the site has yielded some sensational discoveries. For instance, a copy of the Declaration of Independence was found on the property in 1983. But somehow, the copy of the Constitution remained hidden for years.
It was buried in an old filing cabinet among a few chairs and a worn bookcase. The estate owners came across the text while they were cleaning the property in advance of its transformation into a public historical site.
“It has been a whirlwind—an incredibly exciting moment for the auction house,” said Nan Zander, a fine arts specialist at Brunk Auctions.
“We always check on the rarity and authenticity of documents, but when it is this rare, the game steps up exponentially. It’s the prize of all prizes for rare historic documents, and the sky is the limit as far as bidding goes.”
Brunk Auctions oversaw the sale of the document. According to the lot listing, it is in “good overall” condition with some “light staining.” Online bidding started at $1 million, but the document is expected to sell for much more.
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