Development of USA (from 1778 to 1789)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Political document Autograph Coin Coins 1776-92 Gold coins 18th century painting US painting before 1940
Chronology : 18th century 1770-1779 1780-1789 1787
See also : Political document Autograph Coin Coins 1776-92 Gold coins 18th century painting US painting before 1940
Chronology : 18th century 1770-1779 1780-1789 1787
1778 Set of 3 US Colors
2006 SOLD for $ 5.1M by Sotheby's
A Loyalist officer in the Revolutionary War, Banastre Tarleton returns to England in 1781 with a collection of four colors taken from the Americans. Directly from his descendance, the four trophies were auctioned by Sotheby's on June 14, 2006.
Lot 1, sold for $ 12.3M, is a flag of the 2nd Continental Light Dragons taken in 1779 at the Battle of Pound Ridge.
The other three flags were sold together for $ 5.1M, lot 2. They constitute the 3rd Virginia Detachment color set, taken at Waxhaws in 1780.
One of them is in gold-yellow silk 128 x 115 cm painted with a beaver dropping a palmetto tree and sewn with a block of sky blue silk bearing the thirteen silver stars in the disorder of a constellation. The other two, a little smaller, are respectively in gold-yellow and blue silk. Their terminus post quem is the definition of their style by the Continental Army in 1778.
Lot 1, sold for $ 12.3M, is a flag of the 2nd Continental Light Dragons taken in 1779 at the Battle of Pound Ridge.
The other three flags were sold together for $ 5.1M, lot 2. They constitute the 3rd Virginia Detachment color set, taken at Waxhaws in 1780.
One of them is in gold-yellow silk 128 x 115 cm painted with a beaver dropping a palmetto tree and sewn with a block of sky blue silk bearing the thirteen silver stars in the disorder of a constellation. The other two, a little smaller, are respectively in gold-yellow and blue silk. Their terminus post quem is the definition of their style by the Continental Army in 1778.
1779 Washington at Princeton by Charles Willson Peale
2006 SOLD for $ 21.3M by Christie's
On June 14, 1774, the Continental Congress creates an army to carry on the War of Independence. Its commander-in-chief is George Washington, a Virginia planter who is also an officer and a veteran of the Seven Years' War.
Washington is towering by his tall stature and by his phlegm, and surprises his assistants by his abnegation and his virtues. It is not enough. He had never exercised a command on the battlefield and his weak and inexperienced army has everything to learn.
Everything seems easy for the British in December 1776, to the point that they decide to take up their winter quarters in New Jersey, waiting for the sunny days to capture Philadelphia. George Washington will soon be unable to pay his exhausted troops. In a heroic burst, he surprises the British garrisons in Trenton and Princeton. These were the first ever victories of the American army.
The war remains undecided, and they must continue to set an example. On January 18, 1779, the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania commissions a portrait of General Washington to Charles Willson Peale.
The young artist had made an early portrait of the hero at Mount Vernon in 1772. He had been part of the reinforcements from the militias of Pennsylvania who had contributed to the victories of Trenton and Princeton, and had been appreciated by the soldiers for the miniature portraits painted on the field of battle.
The work which responds to the order from Pennsylvania is a full-length standing portrait of Washington after the Battle of Princeton. The hero is displayed in his signature attitude of modesty, without the face or the clothing having been embellished. He puts his hand on a cannon. Symbols of victory include a column of British prisoners with their red coats. This oil on canvas 246 x 149 cm is kept at the museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The strengthening of the young nation also includes an international propaganda to its new French and Spanish allies. Autograph replicas are made by the artist. One of them, oil on canvas 244 x 156 cm dated 1779, was conveyed to Spain by an American diplomat. The political message gradually lost its force and the painting ended up being bequeathed to a Capuchin school in the Basque region, where it was bought around 1918 by an antiquarian dealer from New York.
This portrait of Washington at Princeton was sold for $ 21.3M by Christie's on January 21, 2006, lot 547, from a lower estimate of $ 10M. Please watch the video prepared in 2015 by the auction house to remind the sale of this outstanding painting, the last of its type in private hands.
Washington is towering by his tall stature and by his phlegm, and surprises his assistants by his abnegation and his virtues. It is not enough. He had never exercised a command on the battlefield and his weak and inexperienced army has everything to learn.
Everything seems easy for the British in December 1776, to the point that they decide to take up their winter quarters in New Jersey, waiting for the sunny days to capture Philadelphia. George Washington will soon be unable to pay his exhausted troops. In a heroic burst, he surprises the British garrisons in Trenton and Princeton. These were the first ever victories of the American army.
The war remains undecided, and they must continue to set an example. On January 18, 1779, the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania commissions a portrait of General Washington to Charles Willson Peale.
The young artist had made an early portrait of the hero at Mount Vernon in 1772. He had been part of the reinforcements from the militias of Pennsylvania who had contributed to the victories of Trenton and Princeton, and had been appreciated by the soldiers for the miniature portraits painted on the field of battle.
The work which responds to the order from Pennsylvania is a full-length standing portrait of Washington after the Battle of Princeton. The hero is displayed in his signature attitude of modesty, without the face or the clothing having been embellished. He puts his hand on a cannon. Symbols of victory include a column of British prisoners with their red coats. This oil on canvas 246 x 149 cm is kept at the museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The strengthening of the young nation also includes an international propaganda to its new French and Spanish allies. Autograph replicas are made by the artist. One of them, oil on canvas 244 x 156 cm dated 1779, was conveyed to Spain by an American diplomat. The political message gradually lost its force and the painting ended up being bequeathed to a Capuchin school in the Basque region, where it was bought around 1918 by an antiquarian dealer from New York.
This portrait of Washington at Princeton was sold for $ 21.3M by Christie's on January 21, 2006, lot 547, from a lower estimate of $ 10M. Please watch the video prepared in 2015 by the auction house to remind the sale of this outstanding painting, the last of its type in private hands.
1786 Joseph Brant by Gilbert Stuart
2014 SOLD for £ 4.1M by Sotheby's
The Mohawks, who were one of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, were established in upper New York State.
The Mohawk captain Joseph Brant had been an unwavering ally of the British in the wars against the French and then against the American rebels. His mastery of the English language enabled him to become the most important negotiator of the Iroquois cause, and he was honored as such by King George III. He was a pious Anglican. Brant is an alteration of the first name given by white people to his father.
He made two diplomatic stays in London, in 1775-1776 and 1785-1786. Like the Polynesian Omai whose portrait was painted by Reynolds in 1776, he aroused curiosity in aristocratic salons, skillfully exploiting his "noble savage" personality and not hesitating to show himself in public in an Iroquois costume.
His second stay in London follows the Treaty of Paris of 1783, because of which the British could no longer keep the promises made to their native American allies. Joseph reunites with his only white friend, Earl Percy, of whom he had been a comrade in arms during the New York campaign in 1776. Percy acceded in 1786 to the Duchy of Northumberland.
Percy, who had a strong temperament, supported the Loyalist American painter Gilbert Stuart, in exile in England since 1775. A portrait of Joseph by Stuart, oil on canvas 76 x 61 cm, had been commissioned by him in 1786. Still in the ownership of the Dukes of Northumberland, it was sold by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014 for £ 4.1M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 21.
The 43 year old Mohawk warrior has a tall feathered headdress and large silver ornaments on his coat. His upright and intelligent manner is in line with his diplomatic mission. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The Mohawk captain Joseph Brant had been an unwavering ally of the British in the wars against the French and then against the American rebels. His mastery of the English language enabled him to become the most important negotiator of the Iroquois cause, and he was honored as such by King George III. He was a pious Anglican. Brant is an alteration of the first name given by white people to his father.
He made two diplomatic stays in London, in 1775-1776 and 1785-1786. Like the Polynesian Omai whose portrait was painted by Reynolds in 1776, he aroused curiosity in aristocratic salons, skillfully exploiting his "noble savage" personality and not hesitating to show himself in public in an Iroquois costume.
His second stay in London follows the Treaty of Paris of 1783, because of which the British could no longer keep the promises made to their native American allies. Joseph reunites with his only white friend, Earl Percy, of whom he had been a comrade in arms during the New York campaign in 1776. Percy acceded in 1786 to the Duchy of Northumberland.
Percy, who had a strong temperament, supported the Loyalist American painter Gilbert Stuart, in exile in England since 1775. A portrait of Joseph by Stuart, oil on canvas 76 x 61 cm, had been commissioned by him in 1786. Still in the ownership of the Dukes of Northumberland, it was sold by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014 for £ 4.1M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 21.
The 43 year old Mohawk warrior has a tall feathered headdress and large silver ornaments on his coat. His upright and intelligent manner is in line with his diplomatic mission. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1787 Brasher Doubloon
1
2021 SOLD for $ 9.4M by Heritage
When the United States declared their independence, the issue of monetary autonomy became a puzzle whose importance was paramount to the new union. In 1783 the first federal project named Nova Constellatio is a failure. In 1785, a step forward is made with the naming of the new currency, the dollar.
Meanwhile, business transactions use large foreign gold coins, dominated by those from the Spanish colonies in South America. Banks and grand merchants are the only users of such coins. To deal against counterfeiting, they have their gold checked by specialists, the assayers, who put their own punch on the controlled pieces.
Ephraim Brasher is a goldsmith operating in New York City where he is a neighbor and supplier of George Washington, the President, known as a great lover of silverware. Brasher appreciates that he can play a role in the fight against the monetary anarchy, but his offer in early 1787 to carry out a copper coinage for the state of New York is rejected.
Brasher is an assayer. He knows well the doblon of Lima, a large gold coin worth 8 escudos and weighing 26 grams, whose name is anglicized to doubloon. Circa 1786, he produces in his workshop some Lima-type doubloons which are not fakes because their gold content is correct.
Brasher changes his theme in 1787 for producing doubloons and half doubloons to the use of New York.
The independence of the United States had created the need for a national emblem which will be affixed from an official seal. The project was accepted by Congress after six years, in 1782. It was double-sided, so that it could be printed at the end of a ribbon, but in practice only the face with the heraldic eagle would be used. The popular iconography seized on this patriotic symbol in 1786, with the engravings prepared by James Trenchard for the first two issues of Columbian Magazine.
The eagle with its outstretched wings, the thirteen stripes on the breast shield, the olive branch and the arrows also appeared in 1787 on the reverse side of the Cent and Half Cent from Massachusetts.
Brasher was a metallurgist and definitely not an artist, which had been amply demonstrated by his Lima-style doubloon prepared in 1786. In the meantime he partnered with the designer John Bailey. His new doubloon is superbly engraved on both sides. The centering is very good, with full readability all around.
Both sides are inspired by national emblems. The eagle has all of its attributes, including the constellation of thirteen stars around its head. On the other side, the Eye of Providence shines its radiant light from above a pyramidal mountain. The inscription conforms to the federal motto E Pluribus Unum but the production is located in Nova Eboraca (New York).
The pieces are stamped with his initials, EB, with two possible positions on the wing and on the breast of the eagle. Although their centering and cutting are rather awkward, they are beautiful coins whose design is sharp enough to discourage counterfeiting.
Brasher's Lima-type and New York-type doubloons were not documented in period, which confirms how limited their use was. The gold alloy had undoubtedly been recovered by the melting of some jewelry. Brasher assayer's punch EB gave these coins an authorization for circulation and they are considered regular by numismatists.
The finest of the seven known examples, graded MS65 by NGC, was sold for $ 9.4M by Heritage on January 21, 2021, lot 3934.
The only known Brasher doubloon with the mark on the breast was sold for $ 7.395M in a private sale in December 2011, although its condition is only graded AU50 by PCGS.
A half doubloon is kept at the Smithsonian. It was made with the same dies and a thinner planchet. Unlike the doubloons of the same year but in accordance with the two known Lima style doubloons, some trimming was required to adjust the weight. This half doubloon was perhaps an intermediate version for testing the dies.
Meanwhile, business transactions use large foreign gold coins, dominated by those from the Spanish colonies in South America. Banks and grand merchants are the only users of such coins. To deal against counterfeiting, they have their gold checked by specialists, the assayers, who put their own punch on the controlled pieces.
Ephraim Brasher is a goldsmith operating in New York City where he is a neighbor and supplier of George Washington, the President, known as a great lover of silverware. Brasher appreciates that he can play a role in the fight against the monetary anarchy, but his offer in early 1787 to carry out a copper coinage for the state of New York is rejected.
Brasher is an assayer. He knows well the doblon of Lima, a large gold coin worth 8 escudos and weighing 26 grams, whose name is anglicized to doubloon. Circa 1786, he produces in his workshop some Lima-type doubloons which are not fakes because their gold content is correct.
Brasher changes his theme in 1787 for producing doubloons and half doubloons to the use of New York.
The independence of the United States had created the need for a national emblem which will be affixed from an official seal. The project was accepted by Congress after six years, in 1782. It was double-sided, so that it could be printed at the end of a ribbon, but in practice only the face with the heraldic eagle would be used. The popular iconography seized on this patriotic symbol in 1786, with the engravings prepared by James Trenchard for the first two issues of Columbian Magazine.
The eagle with its outstretched wings, the thirteen stripes on the breast shield, the olive branch and the arrows also appeared in 1787 on the reverse side of the Cent and Half Cent from Massachusetts.
Brasher was a metallurgist and definitely not an artist, which had been amply demonstrated by his Lima-style doubloon prepared in 1786. In the meantime he partnered with the designer John Bailey. His new doubloon is superbly engraved on both sides. The centering is very good, with full readability all around.
Both sides are inspired by national emblems. The eagle has all of its attributes, including the constellation of thirteen stars around its head. On the other side, the Eye of Providence shines its radiant light from above a pyramidal mountain. The inscription conforms to the federal motto E Pluribus Unum but the production is located in Nova Eboraca (New York).
The pieces are stamped with his initials, EB, with two possible positions on the wing and on the breast of the eagle. Although their centering and cutting are rather awkward, they are beautiful coins whose design is sharp enough to discourage counterfeiting.
Brasher's Lima-type and New York-type doubloons were not documented in period, which confirms how limited their use was. The gold alloy had undoubtedly been recovered by the melting of some jewelry. Brasher assayer's punch EB gave these coins an authorization for circulation and they are considered regular by numismatists.
The finest of the seven known examples, graded MS65 by NGC, was sold for $ 9.4M by Heritage on January 21, 2021, lot 3934.
The only known Brasher doubloon with the mark on the breast was sold for $ 7.395M in a private sale in December 2011, although its condition is only graded AU50 by PCGS.
A half doubloon is kept at the Smithsonian. It was made with the same dies and a thinner planchet. Unlike the doubloons of the same year but in accordance with the two known Lima style doubloons, some trimming was required to adjust the weight. This half doubloon was perhaps an intermediate version for testing the dies.
Heritage Auctions will offer the Donald G. Partrick Collection in a series of auctions over the next year, making available one of the most historic collections of American colonial coins ever assembled.https://t.co/lZtpZzLOKC#Coins #DonaldPartrick pic.twitter.com/0a798TEqkh
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) August 11, 2020
Join us tomorrow for a little F-U-N!
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) January 20, 2021
It is a coin any collector would love to own, but only one will be able to possess. We could only be talking about the 1787 New York-Style Brasher Doubloon!
Jan. 20-24 FUN US Coins Auction #HeritageAuctions #coins https://t.co/Jq3TVG58jP pic.twitter.com/wysPjhL8uk
2
2014 SOLD for $ 4.6M by Heritage
On January 9, 2014, Heritage sold for $ 4.6M the other one from only two Brasher doubloons in mint condition from an overall surviving total of six wing marked doubloons, lot 5100. It is graded MS63 by PCGS. This example had been in the nineteenth century the first Brasher doubloon to be described. It was at that time in the estate of an important dealer importer named Gilmor also known as an early collector of coins.
This mercantile provenance strengthens the argument that the Brasher doubloon, earliest gold coin made for circulation in the United States, was designed to supersede the foreign currencies in large commercial operations. Other assumptions are however not rejected such as a promotional operation or a demonstration of know how.
It was sold privately in 2018 for a reported $ 5M.
This mercantile provenance strengthens the argument that the Brasher doubloon, earliest gold coin made for circulation in the United States, was designed to supersede the foreign currencies in large commercial operations. Other assumptions are however not rejected such as a promotional operation or a demonstration of know how.
It was sold privately in 2018 for a reported $ 5M.
1787 Brasher #gold doubloon changes hands for more than $5 million in private sale https://t.co/FE1uy1Zzat via @CoinNews #numismatics pic.twitter.com/L0X9E3fZd3
— David L. Tranbarger (@dltcoins) March 23, 2018
1787 US Constitution
Intro
Relying on the document sold by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787, define the importance of the US Constitution, including worldwide legacy.
The document sold at Sotheby's on November 18, 2021 (lot from a dedicated single-lot auction, often referenced in context with related sales), was an exceptionally rare first printing of the final text of the United States Constitution. Printed in approximately 500 copies in September 1787 by Dunlap & Claypoole for submission to the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention, it represents the "Official Edition"—the first public dissemination of the Constitution's finalized wording after its adoption in Philadelphia.
Only 11–13 surviving copies are known today, with this one (from the Dorothy Tapper Goldman collection) being the last in private hands at the time; it sold for a record $43.2 million.
Importance of the US Constitution
This printing embodies the foundational moment of American governance. As described in Sotheby's materials and expert commentary (e.g., by Selby Kiffer), it marks the transition from debate over the Constitution's content to the ratification process, replacing the ineffective Articles of Confederation. It is regarded as the oldest continuing codified national charter in the world, establishing a durable framework for a federal republic with separated powers, checks and balances, and (later via amendments) protected individual rights. Sotheby's specialists emphasized it as "unequivocally the most significant document in United States history," the ultimate expression of democratic principles that transformed colonists into a unified nation and has endured for over 235 years through 27 amendments.
Worldwide Legacy
The U.S. Constitution's global influence is profound, serving as a model for written constitutions, federalism, separation of powers, judicial review, and rights protections. It inspired 19th-century Latin American constitutions, post-WWII documents in Germany and Japan, and many others in emerging democracies (e.g., Philippines, India). Studies note similarities in phrasing and principles in numerous national charters, promoting rule of law and limited government. While its direct influence has waned since the late 20th century (as newer constitutions incorporate broader social rights), it remains a benchmark for democratic governance worldwide, often called the primary influence on modern constitutionalism. As Sotheby's noted in related sales, it "will continue to influence the future of democratic principles in America and around the world."
The document sold at Sotheby's on November 18, 2021 (lot from a dedicated single-lot auction, often referenced in context with related sales), was an exceptionally rare first printing of the final text of the United States Constitution. Printed in approximately 500 copies in September 1787 by Dunlap & Claypoole for submission to the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention, it represents the "Official Edition"—the first public dissemination of the Constitution's finalized wording after its adoption in Philadelphia.
Only 11–13 surviving copies are known today, with this one (from the Dorothy Tapper Goldman collection) being the last in private hands at the time; it sold for a record $43.2 million.
Importance of the US Constitution
This printing embodies the foundational moment of American governance. As described in Sotheby's materials and expert commentary (e.g., by Selby Kiffer), it marks the transition from debate over the Constitution's content to the ratification process, replacing the ineffective Articles of Confederation. It is regarded as the oldest continuing codified national charter in the world, establishing a durable framework for a federal republic with separated powers, checks and balances, and (later via amendments) protected individual rights. Sotheby's specialists emphasized it as "unequivocally the most significant document in United States history," the ultimate expression of democratic principles that transformed colonists into a unified nation and has endured for over 235 years through 27 amendments.
Worldwide Legacy
The U.S. Constitution's global influence is profound, serving as a model for written constitutions, federalism, separation of powers, judicial review, and rights protections. It inspired 19th-century Latin American constitutions, post-WWII documents in Germany and Japan, and many others in emerging democracies (e.g., Philippines, India). Studies note similarities in phrasing and principles in numerous national charters, promoting rule of law and limited government. While its direct influence has waned since the late 20th century (as newer constitutions incorporate broader social rights), it remains a benchmark for democratic governance worldwide, often called the primary influence on modern constitutionalism. As Sotheby's noted in related sales, it "will continue to influence the future of democratic principles in America and around the world."
1
September 13 Committee of Style Draft (with Rufus King autograph)
2026 SOLD for $ 7.4M by Christie's
A copy of the printed working draft of the US Constitution discussed by the Committee of Style had been marked up during the debates by a delegate. It was sold for $ 7.4M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on January 23, 2026, lot 214.
Role of the Committee of Style Draft in the Preparation of the U.S. Constitution
The Committee of Style (formally the Committee of Style and Arrangement) was appointed on September 8, 1787, near the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Its task was to revise and polish the text of the Constitution based on the provisions already agreed upon by the delegates after months of debate. The committee consisted of five members: William Samuel Johnson (chair), Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.
Gouverneur Morris is widely credited as the primary author of the draft's elegant and concise language—often called the "Penman of the Constitution." The committee condensed the prior resolutions into seven articles and produced a near-final version. Notably, it introduced the iconic Preamble beginning with "We the People of the United States" (replacing an earlier enumeration of the individual states), emphasizing national unity over a loose confederation of states.
On September 12, 1787, the committee's report was presented, and printers John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole produced limited copies for the delegates' use. This printed working draft—the second of only two such drafts created during the Convention (the first was from the earlier Committee of Detail)—allowed delegates to review the text uniformly during final debates from September 12–15. Minor revisions were made, and the final engrossed parchment was signed on September 17, 1787.
This draft represents the Constitution in its almost-final form, capturing the framers' polished vision just before adoption.
Significance of This Specific Print (Lot 214 at Christie's, January 23, 2026)
The document at auction is one of approximately 12 known surviving copies of the Committee of Style's printed draft, making it extraordinarily rare. All other known copies are held in institutional collections (museums, libraries, or archives). This is the first such copy to appear at auction in over 40 years.
It belonged to Rufus King (1755–1827), a Massachusetts delegate (later representing New York) who served on the Committee of Style itself. King's personal copy bears his handwritten annotations, corrections, and suggested alterations, which were incorporated into the final signed version of the Constitution. These markings provide direct insight into the real-time deliberations and last-minute refinements during the Convention's closing days.
As a working document marked up by a key framer, it offers a tangible window into the dynamic process of finalizing the text—far more revealing than clean institutional copies (such as those annotated by George Washington or David Brearley, now in archives). Its provenance ties it directly to the debates, underscoring how delegates like King influenced the document's ultimate wording.
Offered in Christie's "We the People: America at 250" sale (with an estimate of $3–5 million), this artifact is among the most significant Constitutional relics in private hands, illuminating the collaborative yet meticulous crafting of America's founding charter.
Role of the Committee of Style Draft in the Preparation of the U.S. Constitution
The Committee of Style (formally the Committee of Style and Arrangement) was appointed on September 8, 1787, near the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Its task was to revise and polish the text of the Constitution based on the provisions already agreed upon by the delegates after months of debate. The committee consisted of five members: William Samuel Johnson (chair), Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.
Gouverneur Morris is widely credited as the primary author of the draft's elegant and concise language—often called the "Penman of the Constitution." The committee condensed the prior resolutions into seven articles and produced a near-final version. Notably, it introduced the iconic Preamble beginning with "We the People of the United States" (replacing an earlier enumeration of the individual states), emphasizing national unity over a loose confederation of states.
On September 12, 1787, the committee's report was presented, and printers John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole produced limited copies for the delegates' use. This printed working draft—the second of only two such drafts created during the Convention (the first was from the earlier Committee of Detail)—allowed delegates to review the text uniformly during final debates from September 12–15. Minor revisions were made, and the final engrossed parchment was signed on September 17, 1787.
This draft represents the Constitution in its almost-final form, capturing the framers' polished vision just before adoption.
Significance of This Specific Print (Lot 214 at Christie's, January 23, 2026)
The document at auction is one of approximately 12 known surviving copies of the Committee of Style's printed draft, making it extraordinarily rare. All other known copies are held in institutional collections (museums, libraries, or archives). This is the first such copy to appear at auction in over 40 years.
It belonged to Rufus King (1755–1827), a Massachusetts delegate (later representing New York) who served on the Committee of Style itself. King's personal copy bears his handwritten annotations, corrections, and suggested alterations, which were incorporated into the final signed version of the Constitution. These markings provide direct insight into the real-time deliberations and last-minute refinements during the Convention's closing days.
As a working document marked up by a key framer, it offers a tangible window into the dynamic process of finalizing the text—far more revealing than clean institutional copies (such as those annotated by George Washington or David Brearley, now in archives). Its provenance ties it directly to the debates, underscoring how delegates like King influenced the document's ultimate wording.
Offered in Christie's "We the People: America at 250" sale (with an estimate of $3–5 million), this artifact is among the most significant Constitutional relics in private hands, illuminating the collaborative yet meticulous crafting of America's founding charter.
2
September 17 Final Document
2021 SOLD for $ 43M by Sotheby's
Eleven years after the Declaration of Independence, the USA still needed to have a federal law accepted by the thirteen states. They were tentatively ruled since 1781 by the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25, 1787 with George Washington as president. The final version of the US Constitution established by the committee was signed on September 17 by 39 of the 55 delegates.
The text was immediately edited in 500 copies for the use of delegates and congressmen. No public release was suitable at that time as it still had to be ratified by the federal Congress and the states. The 6-page 41 x 26 cm document printed in Philadelphia by John Dunlap in partnership with David Claypoole includes in appendix the list of delegates who voted for it and a copy of Washington's letter urging the ratification by the Congress.
This original US Constitution is still in force today without fundamental changes. Such an unprecedented longevity is due to the remarkable political insight of the delegates who prepared it under the leadership of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and to the foreseen capability to amend it as necessary.
Thirteen copies are surviving. One of them was sold for $ 43M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece was the top highlight from the collection of S. Howard Goldman and his widow Dorothy. It is sold for the benefit of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation whose aim is to advance the principles of America’s founding documents through educational programs. Mrs Goldman introduces her collection and educational purpose in the video shared by Sotheby's.
The underbidder for the US Constitution had been an organization just created for the express purpose of raising money to acquire it. They gathered more than 17,000 contributors who, in a matter of only weeks, raised more than $ 40 million, not enough against the winning bidder, the fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin.
The Sotheby's catalogue included a census of 13 surviving copies. A 14th copy later surfaced at Yale University.
The number 10 in that list was simply identified as Private American Collection. We know now that it had been acquired in 1894 at auction for presentation to the 7 year old Adrian Van Sinderen who later became a keen collector including the ownership of an original Bay Psalm Book. The document was offered in 2022 at Sotheby's from his collection 59 years after his passing. It had not been in public view since 1987. The auction was postponed.
No other copies than the Goldman-Griffin and the Van Sinderen are in private hands.
Also from the Goldman collection, a copy of the first separate printing of the so called Bill of Rights was sold for $ 1.53M by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 71.
This 3-page 34 x 21 cm document is dated August 24, 1789. It was prepared for proposing to the Congress a resolution of amendments to the US Constitution. Such articles had been desired by US citizens for preventing the government to infringe the basic individual rights. They were approved on September 26, 1789 and constitute the Third to Twelfth Amendments.
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May 25, 1787 with George Washington as president. The final version of the US Constitution established by the committee was signed on September 17 by 39 of the 55 delegates.
The text was immediately edited in 500 copies for the use of delegates and congressmen. No public release was suitable at that time as it still had to be ratified by the federal Congress and the states. The 6-page 41 x 26 cm document printed in Philadelphia by John Dunlap in partnership with David Claypoole includes in appendix the list of delegates who voted for it and a copy of Washington's letter urging the ratification by the Congress.
This original US Constitution is still in force today without fundamental changes. Such an unprecedented longevity is due to the remarkable political insight of the delegates who prepared it under the leadership of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton and to the foreseen capability to amend it as necessary.
Thirteen copies are surviving. One of them was sold for $ 43M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 1787. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece was the top highlight from the collection of S. Howard Goldman and his widow Dorothy. It is sold for the benefit of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation whose aim is to advance the principles of America’s founding documents through educational programs. Mrs Goldman introduces her collection and educational purpose in the video shared by Sotheby's.
The underbidder for the US Constitution had been an organization just created for the express purpose of raising money to acquire it. They gathered more than 17,000 contributors who, in a matter of only weeks, raised more than $ 40 million, not enough against the winning bidder, the fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin.
The Sotheby's catalogue included a census of 13 surviving copies. A 14th copy later surfaced at Yale University.
The number 10 in that list was simply identified as Private American Collection. We know now that it had been acquired in 1894 at auction for presentation to the 7 year old Adrian Van Sinderen who later became a keen collector including the ownership of an original Bay Psalm Book. The document was offered in 2022 at Sotheby's from his collection 59 years after his passing. It had not been in public view since 1987. The auction was postponed.
No other copies than the Goldman-Griffin and the Van Sinderen are in private hands.
Also from the Goldman collection, a copy of the first separate printing of the so called Bill of Rights was sold for $ 1.53M by Sotheby's on November 23, 2021, lot 71.
This 3-page 34 x 21 cm document is dated August 24, 1789. It was prepared for proposing to the Congress a resolution of amendments to the US Constitution. Such articles had been desired by US citizens for preventing the government to infringe the basic individual rights. They were approved on September 26, 1789 and constitute the Third to Twelfth Amendments.
3
September 28 Archetype of the US Constitution
2024 SOLD for $ 11M by Brunk
A further print of the US Constitution was executed in 100 copies on September 28, 1787 in New York by John McLean on behalf of Dunlap and Claypoole, for being sent to the legislatures of the states. This 4 page folio 40 x 28 cm document known as the Archetype of the US Constitution is composed in two columns while the 6 page original edition of September 17 was printed in one column.
A copy signed by the Secretary of the Congress Charles Thomson has just surfaced in a North Carolina plantation ranch which had belonged to Samuel Johnston, the governor of that state from 1787 to 1789 and a later senator, a slave holder and Freemason leader who lived at that place since 1765. Johnston, who supported the project, presided over the two conventions in North Carolina, successively rejecting the Constitution in 1788 and ratifying it in 1789.
This document was sold for $ 11M by Brunk on October 17, 2024, lot 1509. Its condition is good overall with expected wear and a heavy central horizontal fold. No other example of the less than 10 surviving copies is in private hands. The September 28, 1787 resolution officially launching the ratification process is attached.
The 1787 Printed Archetype of the US Constitution refers to one of the approximately 500 copies printed on September 18, 1787, by John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole in Philadelphia, immediately following the Constitutional Convention's completion of the document. This printing was authorized by the Convention's Committee of Style and Arrangement (comprising William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, and Rufus King) on September 15, 1787, and served as the working text for the Continental Congress. It was produced concurrently with the engrossed parchment version signed by delegates on September 17, 1787, but the printed archetype became the primary version distributed for ratification.
In the creation and ratification process, this archetype played a pivotal role. On September 28, 1787, the Continental Congress unanimously resolved to transmit these printed copies—along with the Convention's letter and resolution—to the legislatures of the 13 original states for consideration by popularly elected conventions, as stipulated in Article VII of the Constitution. Secretary Charles Thomson sent them via circular letters to governors, who forwarded them to state assemblies. States then produced their own printings for delegates and public dissemination (e.g., Virginia ordered 5,000 copies). This printed text was the exact version debated, voted on, and ratified by state conventions from December 1787 to November 1789, with the required nine states ratifying by July 1788 to establish the Constitution. It facilitated the transition from the Articles of Confederation by providing a uniform, authorized text for adoption, deriving its authority directly from the people through these conventions (as later affirmed by Chief Justice John Marshall in McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819).
specific copy sold at Brunk Auctions (lot 1509) on October 17, 2024, is notable as the only known privately held official ratification copy, discovered in 2022 in a filing cabinet at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina—once owned by Samuel Johnston, the state's governor from December 1787 to December 1789. It sold at a hammer price of $9 million, with a 23% buyer's premium bringing the final price to $11,070,000.
A copy signed by the Secretary of the Congress Charles Thomson has just surfaced in a North Carolina plantation ranch which had belonged to Samuel Johnston, the governor of that state from 1787 to 1789 and a later senator, a slave holder and Freemason leader who lived at that place since 1765. Johnston, who supported the project, presided over the two conventions in North Carolina, successively rejecting the Constitution in 1788 and ratifying it in 1789.
This document was sold for $ 11M by Brunk on October 17, 2024, lot 1509. Its condition is good overall with expected wear and a heavy central horizontal fold. No other example of the less than 10 surviving copies is in private hands. The September 28, 1787 resolution officially launching the ratification process is attached.
The 1787 Printed Archetype of the US Constitution refers to one of the approximately 500 copies printed on September 18, 1787, by John Dunlap and David C. Claypoole in Philadelphia, immediately following the Constitutional Convention's completion of the document. This printing was authorized by the Convention's Committee of Style and Arrangement (comprising William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, and Rufus King) on September 15, 1787, and served as the working text for the Continental Congress. It was produced concurrently with the engrossed parchment version signed by delegates on September 17, 1787, but the printed archetype became the primary version distributed for ratification.
In the creation and ratification process, this archetype played a pivotal role. On September 28, 1787, the Continental Congress unanimously resolved to transmit these printed copies—along with the Convention's letter and resolution—to the legislatures of the 13 original states for consideration by popularly elected conventions, as stipulated in Article VII of the Constitution. Secretary Charles Thomson sent them via circular letters to governors, who forwarded them to state assemblies. States then produced their own printings for delegates and public dissemination (e.g., Virginia ordered 5,000 copies). This printed text was the exact version debated, voted on, and ratified by state conventions from December 1787 to November 1789, with the required nine states ratifying by July 1788 to establish the Constitution. It facilitated the transition from the Articles of Confederation by providing a uniform, authorized text for adoption, deriving its authority directly from the people through these conventions (as later affirmed by Chief Justice John Marshall in McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819).
specific copy sold at Brunk Auctions (lot 1509) on October 17, 2024, is notable as the only known privately held official ratification copy, discovered in 2022 in a filing cabinet at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina—once owned by Samuel Johnston, the state's governor from December 1787 to December 1789. It sold at a hammer price of $9 million, with a 23% buyer's premium bringing the final price to $11,070,000.
1787 Autograph Letter by Washington
2009 SOLD for $ 3.2M by Christie's
In the United States, 1787 is the year of the Constitution. It became vital to build a strong government and to end the risk of opposition between these former colonies whose respective histories were so varied.
George Washington, the hero of the War of Independence, is one of the most active proponents of this reform. In a letter written to his nephew on November 9, he explains that power is not given to people but will always be with the people.
This autograph letter of four large pages was sold for $ 3.2M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Christie's on December 4, 2009. It is illustrated in the pre sale release by AuctionPublicity.
George Washington, the hero of the War of Independence, is one of the most active proponents of this reform. In a letter written to his nephew on November 9, he explains that power is not given to people but will always be with the people.
This autograph letter of four large pages was sold for $ 3.2M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Christie's on December 4, 2009. It is illustrated in the pre sale release by AuctionPublicity.
1789 Acts of Congress
2012 SOLD for $ 9.8M by Christie's
During the ten years following the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Congress sets up a code known as the Articles of Confederation to manage the relations between the states. Too idealistic, this first law is a failure.
The founders of the nation are now trying to redefine the delicate balance between the executive and legislative branches while considering also the need for autonomy of each state. Their work is outstanding, since the system defined between 1787 and 1789 is still the foundation of the US law.
George Washington is one of the key figures in this success. On June 22, 2012, Christie's sold for $ 9.8M his personal copy of the main acts of Congress, lot 1. It gathers the Constitution, various acts including the creation of major Executive Departments, and the first draft of twelve articles known as the Bill of Rights for an effective and pragmatic definition of freedoms.
This collection was a working document for the new President. It is also a much valuable autograph : signed on the title page, it includes handwritten notes in the margin of several acts.
These 53 sheets 30 x 19 cm from 1789 are assembled in a binding probably made in the same year. They are in excellent condition.
Please watch the video shared by Fox News :
The founders of the nation are now trying to redefine the delicate balance between the executive and legislative branches while considering also the need for autonomy of each state. Their work is outstanding, since the system defined between 1787 and 1789 is still the foundation of the US law.
George Washington is one of the key figures in this success. On June 22, 2012, Christie's sold for $ 9.8M his personal copy of the main acts of Congress, lot 1. It gathers the Constitution, various acts including the creation of major Executive Departments, and the first draft of twelve articles known as the Bill of Rights for an effective and pragmatic definition of freedoms.
This collection was a working document for the new President. It is also a much valuable autograph : signed on the title page, it includes handwritten notes in the margin of several acts.
These 53 sheets 30 x 19 cm from 1789 are assembled in a binding probably made in the same year. They are in excellent condition.
Please watch the video shared by Fox News :
