Washington’s Personal Constitution Sells for Nearly $10M
NEW YORK—Greatly eclipsing the pre-sale estimate of $2 million to $3 million, George Washington’s personal copy of the “Acts of Congress” sold for more than $9.8 million at a Christie’s New York auction on June 22. Handwritten notations by the first U.S. president in the 106-page, leather-bound and gold-embossed volume fueled the bidding war.
Reproductions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, are included in the book, which was printed in 1789—Washington’s first year in office. According to MSNBC, the “Mount Vernon Ladies Association, which maintains the historic Mount Vernon estate in Virginia that was Washington's home and is now open to the public, was the successful bidder.”
A report in the Gulf News noted that the “book was bound especially for the president by New York bookbinder Thomas Allen, who also created similar copies for first secretary of state Thomas Jefferson and attorney general John Jay.