David Rubenstein Buys Rare Newspaper Printing of the Declaration of Independence for $630,000
New York, NY, June 25 — The rare first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence sold at auction today in New York City at Robert A. Siegel Galleries’ (www.siegelauctions.com) 50th annual Rarities of the World sale for a record $632,500. According to Seth Kaller, who represented the seller at auction, “this is the largest sum ever paid for any historic newspaper.” The Declaration sold was printed in Benjamin Towne’s Saturday July 6, 1776 issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post. It is the first newspaper printing of the Declaration, and its second printing in any form.
It was purchased by David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm.
Seth Kaller (www.sethkaller.com) is a leading expert in acquiring, authenticating and appraising American historic documents and artifacts. Kaller has built museum-quality collections for individuals and institutions, as well as legacy collections for philanthropists to donate. He has handled important manuscripts and documents relating to the Declaration, the U.S. Constitution, and all U.S. presidents, as well as many other of the world's leading historical figures. Seth Kaller, Inc. is located in White Plains, NY.
This newspaper publication of the Declaration was preceded only by the official broadside (a single page with text on one side) published by John Dunlap on July 5.
Declaration issues of The Pennsylvania Evening Post are rare. This is one of only four copies recorded on the market in at least the last 50 years. Mr. Kaller has had the privilege of selling three of the four copies.
