愛污传媒

World

    • A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution sells for US$9 million at auction

    A 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution that sold for $9 million is displayed at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Jeffrey Collins / AP Photo) A 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution that sold for $9 million is displayed at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Jeffrey Collins / AP Photo)
    Share
    ASHEVILLE, N.C. -

    A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution printed 237 years ago and sent to the states to be ratified was sold for US$9 million at an auction Thursday evening in North Carolina.

    Brunk Auctions sold the document, the only copy of its type thought to be privately owned, at a private auction. The name of the buyer was not immediately released.

    Bidding took just over seven minutes, with bids coming in at US$500,000 intervals mostly over the phone. There was a pause at US$8.5 million, then another after someone on the phone bid $9 million.

    鈥淛ust another second or two. Savour it a little bit selling here at nine million,鈥 said auctioneer and auction house owner Andrew Brunk.

    Brunk was thankful. The auction was originally set for Sept. 28 but was delayed after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage throughout Asheville and western North Carolina.

    鈥淚t's a privilege to have it here. It's been quite a ride,鈥 Brunk said.

    The copy was printed after the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the proposed framework of the nation鈥檚 government in 1787 and sent it to the Congress of the ineffective first American government under the Articles of Confederation, requesting it be sent to the states to be ratified by the people.

    A Brunk auction employee waits to see if a bidder on the phone wants to make a bid during an auction that included a 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution that sold for $9 million at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

    It鈥檚 one of about 100 copies printed by the secretary of that Congress, Charles Thomson. Just eight are known to still exist and the other seven are publicly owned.

    Thomson likely signed two copies for each of the original 13 states, essentially certifying them.

    What happened to the document up for auction Thursday between Thomson's signature and 2022 is not known.

    Two years ago, a property was being cleared out in Edenton in eastern North Carolina that was once owned by Samuel Johnston. He was the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and oversaw the state convention during his last year in office that ratified the Constitution.

    The copy was found inside a squat, two-drawer metal filing cabinet with a can of stain on top, in a long-neglected room piled high with old chairs and a dusty book case, before the old Johnston house was preserved. The document was a broad sheet that could be folded one time like a book.

    Along with the Constitution on the broad sheet printed front and back is a letter from George Washington asking for ratification. He acknowledged there would have to be compromise and that certain rights the states enjoyed would have to be given up for the nation's long-term health.

    The Constitution copy wasn鈥檛 the only seven-figure purchase Thursday. A watermarked 1776 first draft of the Articles of Confederation went for US$1 million.

    Also sold for US$85,000 was a 1788 Journal of the Convention of North Carolina at Hillsborough where representatives spent two weeks debating whether ratifying the Constitution would put too much power with the federal government instead of the states.

    Auction officials were not sure what the Constitution document would go for because there is so little to compare it to. The last time a copy of the Constitution that was sent to the states sold, it was for US$400 in 1891.

    In 2021, Sotheby's of New York sold one of only 14 remaining copies of the Constitution printed for the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention for US$43.2 million, a record for a book or document.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

    Former volunteers with Eastern Ontario Cats (EOC) are working to track cats they say are either dead or missing after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records surfaced in recent months.

    Canada

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • Former volunteers with Eastern Ontario Cats (EOC) are working to track cats they say are either dead or missing after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records surfaced in recent months.

    • The Quebec government says it wants to hear from Quebecers about the possibility of scrapping the twice-yearly time change.

    • At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

    A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

    John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.

    • Mounties are investigation after a 19-year-old driver was killed in a crash on Vancouver Island on Monday night.

    • A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of a woman in northern British Columbia last summer.

    • Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry encouraged British Columbians to get updated influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations and to 鈥渄ust off鈥 healthy habits as we enter the respiratory illness season.

    • Police are sharing video of a recent home invasion in Richmond Hill as they search for three outstanding suspects wanted in connection with the incident.

    • A Superior Court justice in Milton has been ordered to participate in coaching from a more senior judge after the Canadian Judicial Council found that his tone was 'abusive and intimidating' during a family court hearing last September.

    • A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.

    • More than a decade after the death of Colton Crowshoe, the man responsible is expected to be sentenced in a Calgary court on Tuesday.

    • Morning commuters in Calgary got the first taste of winter driving for the season on Tuesday.

    • An electrical grid alert was issued throughout Alberta on Tuesday morning as temperatures cooled.

    • Memorials and tributes are taking place across Ottawa on Tuesday to remember Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, an honour guard stationed at the National War Memorial, killed 10 years ago today.

    • Former volunteers with Eastern Ontario Cats (EOC) are working to track cats they say are either dead or missing after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records surfaced in recent months.

    • On Nov. 5, millions of Americans will either cast their vote for Vice President Kamala Harris or for former President Donald Trump to become the next President of the United States. But in Watertown, N.Y. - a city with a population just under 25,000 - some residents feel their vote won't matter in 14 days.

    • Education Minister Bernard Drainville has suspended the licences of the 11 teachers implicated in the Bedford school investigation in Montreal.

    • The Quebec government says it wants to hear from Quebecers about the possibility of scrapping the twice-yearly time change.

    • A Montreal suburb has started an operation to kill white-tailed deer in one of its local parks, after years of legal battles with activists seeking to save the animals.

    • Edmonton police are looking for information on a man they say is connected to a July house fire in the Fraser neighbourhood.

    • Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) custodians have voted 97 per cent in favour of going on strike.

    • West Edmonton Mall will be hosting an Edmonton Oilers autograph session with booths located all throughout the mall on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • A member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party is crossing the floor and joining the Progressive Conservatives.

    • Communities east of Alberta set record high temperatures for an Oct. 21 while Alberta itself contended with the first snowfall of the season in some areas.

    • A number of Manitoba communities kicked off the week by breaking decades-old heat records.

    • It was lights, cameras, and action at a beachfront Manitoba community last week as a Hollywood movie shoot took over the town once again.

    • The Manitoba government is restoring the 1:1 apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio.

    • Saskatchewan's Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) has found that former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal violated legislative rules by profiting from hotels while they were party to government contracts.

    • Two bullet holes were discovered at the campaign office of a Saskatchewan Party candidate in Regina.

    • EXCLUSIVE

      EXCLUSIVE

      The NDP appears to have some momentum in Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial election campaign with less than a week until votes are tallied.

    • Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a Kitchener playground.

    • At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

    • Federal prosecutors argue statements made by a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year show the attack was ideologically motivated.

    • A city planning document for the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) sparked controversy over the weekend, with three civic election candidates alleging Confederation Mall was at risk of being demolished and replaced with dense housing.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP has confirmed a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 2 near Wakaw on Sunday.

    • The Saskatchewan NDP says signs of internal struggle at the Saskatchewan Party are begging to show after the party leaked audio of an opposition candidate being critical of his party's policies.

    • Warning: This story includes graphic descriptions of a murder scene many will find upsetting. Reader caution strongly is advised. After three weeks of testimony, a Sudbury jury has begun deliberations in the case of a woman charged with second-degree murder in a gruesome stabbing death in December 2020.

    • After operating for 51 years, General Motors has announced it is closing the Kapuskasing Proving Ground, a facility the automaker used to test the durability of its vehicles in cold weather.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • It may not look like much now, but when the United Way is done with the second floor of a building in downtown Listowel, there will be new affordable rental units for the community's less fortunate.

    • A 13 year old is recovering from minor injuries after being hit by a car. Around 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 11, OPP were called to Highway 10 north of Markdale in Chatsworth Township.

    • This Saturday marks the 16th anniversary for The Showdown in the Downtown, an annual event featuring professional boxing that's raised over $3 million to date.

    • Police laid two dozen charges in connection with a month-long investigation into a criminal auto theft enterprise.

    • Police have arrested one person after an alleged bank robbery in Orillia.

    • A fire that caused $2.5 million damage at a newly constructed house in Adjala-Tosorontio early Tuesday morning is being investigated as suspicious.

    • NextStar Energy is celebrating the official start of battery module production.

    • Researchers at the University of Windsor have been given $2.5 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada to advance a sexual violence prevention program.

    • The Windsor Police Service is equipping more frontline patrol officers with in-car cameras and body-worn microphones.

    • Mounties are investigation after a 19-year-old driver was killed in a crash on Vancouver Island on Monday night.

    • A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of a woman in northern British Columbia last summer.

    • Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry encouraged British Columbians to get updated influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations and to 鈥渄ust off鈥 healthy habits as we enter the respiratory illness season.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Lethbridge police are advising the public of officer training on Tuesday that will happen in two different venues throughout the day.

    • Calgary scored three times in the first, and three times in the third as the Hitmen defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-1 Saturday at the Saddledome.

    • The last students to graduate from Lethbridge College will make history this weekend as they cross the stage at fall convocation.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    • An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.

    • The owners of 73 vacant properties in the Sault have been fined for violations of the city's vacant properties bylaw, including 33 owned by a firm going through a high-profile insolvency process.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒