Gavels ‘n’ Paddles: Copy of the Declaration, $4.42 million, Freeman’s

Recent Auction Results from Near & Far
By Ken Hall

Copy of the Declaration, $4.42 million, Freeman’s Signer Charles Carroll’s copy of the Declaration of Independence sold for $4.42 million at a single-lot auction held July 1st by Freeman’s in Philadelphia. It was the second-highest price ever paid at auction for a copy of the Declaration, and the most ever paid at auction for an American document printed in the 19th century. It was a copy of William J. Stone’s 1823 printing and was originally presented to Charles Carroll (1737-1832), the last surviving signer of the original document.