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George Washington’s handwritten book of US Constitution sold for $10m |
George Washington’s personal copy of the
US constitution has been sold for almost 10 million dollars at an auction. The
book, with the first president’s own annotations, was printed in 1789 - his first
year in office. It had an estimated price of 2 million dollars to 3 million dollars
but bidding boosted the price of the 223-year-old book, the BBC reported. Historians
say Washington ’s notes are what make the book so valuable, as the president was
keenly aware of the precedents he would set in office. The leather-bound book
is described as in nearly pristine condition and is stamped with the Washington
family crest. It also contains the first acts of Congress, which included legislation
to establish state, judiciary, defence and treasury departments of government.
According to Christie’s auction house, the book was fought over between two bidders
who remained anonymous during the auction. The new owner is the Mount Vernon Ladies’
Association, which paid a final price of 9,826,500 dollars. “It’s an exciting
day. We are thrilled to be able to bring this extraordinary book back to Mount
Vernon where it belongs,” spokeswoman Ann Bookout said. The private, non-profit
group, owns and maintains Mount Vernon , Washington ’s historic Virginia estate,
and has said the book will become part of a new presidential library due to open
in 2013. The book was bound especially for the president by Thomas Allen, a New
York bookbinder. He also created similar copies for Thomas Jefferson, the first
secretary of state, and Attorney General John Jay. The book sold by Christie’s
on Friday had been in the library at Mount Vernon for many years after Washington
’s death. In 1876 it was sold at auction to a private collection, and was sold
again in 1964 to Richard Dietrich, a notable collector of early Americana . After
serving two terms as president, Washington spent three years in retirement at
Mount Vernon before he died in 1799.
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