Posted on 06/23/2012 7:34:03 AM PDT by ETL
A book owned by George Washington and containing his own annotated copy of the Constitution sold for almost $10 million at Christie's, more than three times what it was expected to draw.
A fierce bidding war between two unidentified parties forced the price up, and applause erupted in the venerable auction house when the hammer came down and the 223-year-old book sold for $9,826,500 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.
The Acts of Congress volume includes a copy of the Constitution, a draft of the Bill of Rights, and acts creating the executive, State and Treasury department. The book was printed for him in 1789 and is in nearly-pristine condition.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I was there last Monday, and one of the docents was speaking about JA Washington III and his last few years there. Evidently, he had become bothered by all the people stopping there by carriage or boat and knocking on his door to see the place. He also was in not very good financial straights, so it was hard for him to keep it maintained.
But, God Bless the Mount Vernon Ladies Auxiliary.
The seller was the ladies, or what?
He sees the Constitution as a barrier to the things he wants to accomplish, but like a lawyer, he seeks to find loopholes and ways to override the Constitution through executive orders and buying off votes.
It’s a wonder that this even exists in near-pristine condition. It’s priceless.
“when the hammer came down and the 223-year-old book sold for $9,826,500 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.”
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