The Declaration of Independence - Founding Document of The United States of America Start Price USD 55,000.00 Current Price USD 55,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, August 22, 2008 End Time Monday, September 01, 2008 Location White Plains, New York See more about 'The Declaration of Independence - Founding Document of' Description   The Declaration of Independence   Declaration of Independence. Copperplate engraving printed on thin wove paper. “In Congress, July 4, 1776.  The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”   Imprint at bottom left, “W. J. STONE SC WASHn” [William Stone for Peter Force, Washington, DC. ca. 1833].   26” x 30”.  Never folded.      Historical Background: By 1820 the original Declaration of Independence, now housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., already showed signs of age and wear from handling.  John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State, commissioned William J. Stone to engrave a facsimile – an exact copy –on a copper plate.  There is still debate about whether Stone used a “wet” or chemical process to trace the original manuscript, helping to make the exact copy. In 1823, Congress ordered 200 official copies printed on vellum. Fewer than 40 of Stone’s printing on vellum are known to have survived, with at least 21 of those housed in institutions and public collections.    All subsequent exact facsimiles of the Declaration descend from the Stone plate.  One of the ways to distinguish the first edition is Stone’s original imprint, top left: “ENGRAVED by W.J. STONE for the Dept. of State by order,” and continued top right: “of J. Q. Adams, Sec of State July 4, 1823.” Sometime after Stone completed his printing, his imprint at top was removed, and replaced with a shorter imprint at bottom left, “W. J. STONE SC WASHn,” as seen on this document, just below George Walton’s printed signature.  The shorter imprint was copied on subsequent plates.   Most descriptions date the “Force” printing to 1848, consistent with the publication of Peter Force’s American Archives: A Documentary History of the United States of America, Series V, Volume I, which included the Declaration facsimile. But Force had already procured the Declaration facsimiles 15 years earlier, when Congress authorized the American Archives project, and the State Department signed a contract for 1,500 copies.  On July 21, 1833 the original engraver, William Stone, invoiced Force for 4,000 imprints of the Declaration.  Perhaps Force thought he would sell as many as 2,500 additional copies of American Archives by subscription. After mounting expenses and increasing delays in producing Series IV, by 1843, when Force received Congressional re-authorization, he had scaled back his subscription plan to 500 copies.    This Force printing, the second edition of the first exact facsimile, remains one of the best representations of the Declaration as the manuscript looked over 150 years ago, prior to its nearly complete deterioration – very little of the original is legible today.  Force imprints that were never folded, thus lacking the physical protection of the book, are far more rare on the market than folded copies.      Peter Force (1790-1868) was a noted archivist and historian who compiled The American Archives, originally planned as a series of more than twenty folio volumes publishing the most important original materials from American history, from the 17th century through 1789. Authorized by Congress in 1833, the first volume was published in 1837. The project was abruptly canceled in 1853 by Secretary of State William Learned Marcy, and Force ultimately sold his enormous collection of documents to the Library of Congress for $100,000.     To see more great documents that have changed influenced our history, please visit us at http://www.sethkaller.net/catalogs/material-change and http://www.sethkaller.net/catalogs/revolutionary-war. ABOUT THE SELLER For over 20 years, Seth Kaller has been the largest buyer of important and authentic historic documents. More than ten thousand rare manuscripts, documents, maps, and books handled by Kaller are now in museum collections, including working drafts of the United States Constitution that were acquired for the Gilder Lehrman Collection at the New-York Historical Society, and a signed copy of the 13th Amendment that was acquired for the Lincoln Museum of Fort Wayne, Indiana.   Kaller is a member of the Manuscript Society and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.  References are available upon request.   For more information about us, see www.sethkaller.net/about/   TERMS This document comes with my absolute guarantee that it is original and authentic.  If this is ever proven not to be authentic, it may be returned for a full refund.   I accept personal checks and money orders.  If paying by personal check, the item will not ship until the check has cleared.  Credit card payments are accepted through paypal.  We are also happy to use www.escrow.com.  All bids are considered purchases and payment must be received within 7 days. Please inquire for international shipping rates.   We are always willing to have 10% of the purchase price paid to a mutually agreeable charity.  Among the organizations we already support: Seeds of Peace, Monticello, Mount Vernon, The Lincoln Museum, The University of Virginia, The National Constitution Center, The New-York Historical Society, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, American Red Cross, American Friends of Magen David Adom, and Armed Forces Relief Trust.  Contact us for details.   Start Your Own Collection As a collector of history, you can enjoy a unique and personal connection with your favorite historic event, figure, or idea. Seth Kaller, Inc. specializes in acquiring important historic documents, artifacts, and collections. We coordinate every aspect of the process for you, from searching for individual items to building entire world-class collections for your home, business, foundation, or favorite museum. We can handle the pre-acquisition research, physical inspection and purchasing, auction representation, authentication, inventory, accounting reports, framing, and display.   Help Your Favorite Museum Build a legacy by preserving history for generations to come. Through donations and loans to your favorite museum, library, or university, you ensure the survival of these important documents and act as a steward for personalities and ideas that shaped the world. We capably handle all the arrangements, including insurance, transit, and proper acknowledgement for you. Donating can also bring substantial tax benefits. We have considerable experience working with tax attorneys and accountants to help maximize your benefit or minimize your cost as you promote your passion for history.   Authenticity Guaranteed You can have confidence that you are buying an original and genuine historic document.  In addition to our own expertise, we have third party experts review our documents. We are more vigilant and see more important documents than COA issuing authenticating bodies. Please check our reputation in the field, and call us if you want more information or references. However, at a buyer's request, we can submit any item to a qualified independent authentication service. Feel free to ask us how we know that the document we are offering is genuine. Place a Bid!

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