US EditionHarvard Discovers Its $27 Purchase Is a a Rare Magna Carta Original
- Harvard Law School acquired a document in 1946 for $27.50, long believed to be a faded Magna Carta copy but now confirmed original from 1300.
- British professors David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent identified the document as an authentic 1300 Magna Carta issued under King Edward I after a detailed analysis.
- The document’s size, handwriting, and text align with six other known originals of the 1300 issue, placing Harvard’s copy among seven surviving versions worldwide.
- Carpenter called the find “a fantastic discovery,” and Vincent noted it as the 25th known Magna Carta original, worth millions despite being stained and faded.
- The revelation suggests Harvard held a historically significant document unnoticed for decades, offering a renewed opportunity to explore Magna Carta’s global legal legacy.
221 Articles
221 Articles
A Treasure for 27 Dollars: Harvard Discovers 700 Years Old Constitutional Document
What has been a yellowed copy in the Harvard Library for decades turns out to be an original copy of the Magna Charter from 1300 – making it one of the most important documents in the history of the Constitution. Harvard once bought it for 27 dollars.
Magna Charter: Once Bought for 27 Dollars – Harvard Discovers 700-Year-Old Document in the Fundus
After almost 80 years at Harvard University, a supposedly cheap copy of England's Magna Charter turns out to be the original. In fact, the document is a 700-year-old specimen of invaluable value.
Harvard Thought It Had a 1327 Copy of the Magna Carta. Then British Scholars Discovered It’s an Original.
British researchers have determined that a “copy” of the Magna Carta owned by the Harvard Law School Library is a rare original issued by England’s King Edward I in 1300. The copy, previously thought to date back to 1327, was purchased by Harvard in 1946 for $27.
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