$4.4 Million for Declaration of Independence- Sold July 1, 2021

Found in an attic in Scotland

Signature of Charles Carroll of Carrollton

After July 4, 1826, when Adams and Jefferson died within hours of each other, Charles Carroll of Carrollton¹ (1737-1832) became the last surviving signer of the Declaration, the one man with a living memory of the momentous decision.  He was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration.² Carroll gave both of his copies to his grandson-in-law, John MacTavish (1787-1852), a Scottish-Canadian diplomat and businessman who served as British Consul to Maryland and married Carroll's granddaughter, Emily Caton. ³

A rare parchment engraving of the Declaration of Independence, ordered up by John Quincy Adams two centuries ago from printer William J. Stone and found in the attic of an ancestral Scottish house, sold for a near-record $4.4 million July 1, 2021 at Freeman’s auction house to an anonymous buyer.⁴

The Freeman’s Auction House has the details.⁵

In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams grew concerned over the fragile condition of the Declaration. With the approval of Congress, Adams commissioned William J. Stone to engrave a facsimile—an exact copy—on a copper plate. Stone’s engraving is the best representation of the Declaration as the manuscript looked prior to its nearly complete deterioration.⁶

1. CHARLES CARROLL OF CARROLLTON 1737- 1832.

2. Laforce, Geoffrey. (June 28, 2021) Meet The Only Roman Catholic To Sign The Declaration Of Independence. Catholic Digest.

3. Historic US document found in Scottish ancestral home sells for £3.2m. BBC News. July 2, 2021.

4. Salisbury, Stephan (July 2, 2021). A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence just sold for $4.4 million. Philadelphia Inquirer.

5. Lot 1 (This Important State Paper: Signer Charles Carroll's Copy of the Declaration of Independence, July 1, 2021).

6. The Declaration of Independence—William J. Stone Engraving. Seth Kaller, Inc.