Magna Carta being auctioned for first time
- Story Highlights
- Sotheby's to auction one of the earliest versions of the Magna Carta
- Document expected to go for at least $20 million to $30 million
- Charter mandated king to cede certain basic rights to citizens
- Ross Perot bought this version in 1984
英13世紀大憲章手抄本12月拍賣
2007年9月26日 HKT:
英國首部限制君主權力的13世紀憲法手抄本，定於12月在紐約蘇富比拍賣，估值高達3000萬美元。這部名為「大憲章」（Magna Carta）的憲法手寫版本，其珍貴之處在於它是最後一份落入私人收藏家手中的版本，堪稱歷來公開拍賣的最重要歷史文件。
迄今只有17份大憲章版本留存在世，因此彌足珍貴。紐約的蘇富比拍賣行周二宣布，這份唯一落入私人收藏家手上的大憲章手抄本，定於12月中旬在紐約拍賣，估值3000萬美元。
這部憲法手抄本，僅一頁紙，長2500字，以拉丁文寫成，是1297年的版本，由英皇愛德華一世的國會頒布，上有愛德華一世的蠟蓋印。
它是由曾以獨立候選人身份參選總統的美國德州富商佩羅特拿出來拍賣，拍賣所得將捐作為慈善用途，包括教育、研發醫藥及協助傷兵及他們的家人。
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Just blocks from where U.N. diplomats debate their interpretations of tyranny and democracy, what may be the first document to articulate the difference is going up for sale.
The version of the Magna Carta up for auction has been on display at the National Archives in Washington.
Sotheby's will auction off one of the earliest versions of the Magna Carta later this year, the auction house announced Tuesday.
This will be the first time any version of the Magna Carta has ever gone up for auction, according to David Redden, vice chairman of Sotheby's.
The Magna Carta is expected to fetch at least $20 million to $30 million, Redden said.
Redden, who has also sold dinosaur bones, space race artifacts and a first printing of the Declaration of Independence, called the Magna Carta "the most important document on earth."
The charter mandated the English king to cede certain basic rights to his citizens, ensuring that no man is above the law.
Many believe the Magna Carta was the first document to recognize the legal right to freedom from tyranny, an influential concept to American political philosophers -- from the founding fathers to the modern presidency.
The version to be auctioned is one of fewer than 20 known copies of the Magna Carta, which means "Great Charter" in Latin. The document was first devised in 1215, but not confirmed into English law until 1297 -- the year this version was issued and sealed by King Edward I.
The document is one of only two copies of the charter that exist outside of England, according to Sotheby's. This Magna Carta and another version in Australia are the only two ever to have been privately sold.
The version up for auction rested for six centuries with the Brundell family in Deene Park, England, until being bought in 1984 by businessman Ross Perot. Since then, the Perot Foundation has kept the copy on display at the National Archives in Washington.
The Perot Foundation plans to distribute the money from the auction to various causes such as medical research and helping wounded soldiers.
The Magna Carta will be coming up for auction during the week of December 10
沒有留言:
張貼留言