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Peter Force 1843 ''American Archives'' Declaration of Independence

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Peter Force 1843 ''American Archives'' Declaration of Independence
"WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS BY THE AUCTIONEER ONCE ALL BIDS HAVE BEEN PROCESSED TO DETERMINE THE WINNER FOR EACH LOT."
Rare 1843 Declaration of Independence from a first edition copy of Peter Force's historical trove, ''American Archives,'' Volume I of the Fifth Series. Rice paper Declaration has been removed from the book, which is still present. When Congress commissioned Peter Force to compile the nine-volume, 15,500pp. ''American Archives'' series documenting the nation's history in 1843, it was determined that a copy of the Declaration would be included in the volume covering 1776. Twenty-three years earlier, as the original document was rapidly deteriorating, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams had authorized engraver William J. Stone to create a copperplate of the Declaration via painstaking wet-ink transfer. It took Stone three years to create a plate with absolute fidelity to the original, although the process caused additional deterioration to the original document, now exhibited in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Stone printed 201 copies on vellum. He kept one copy for himself, now residing in the Smithsonian, and the other copies were distributed to Thomas Jefferson, President James Monroe, members of Congress, surviving original Signers, various colleges and universities, and others. Of the original 201 copies, only 31 examples are currently known to exist, 19 of which are permanently housed in museums. The remaining dozen vellum examples are rarely offered for sale. The ''American Archives'' copies were made from Stone's plate, now housed in the National Archives. Congress authorized up to 1,500 copies of the book to be printed, but subscriptions fell far short of that number. The actual number of copies of the book printed is unknown, with estimates ranging at around 500 copies. Fewer than half are believed to have survived, in varying states of preservation and most missing the coveted Declaration. This rice paper ''American Archives'' Declaration measures approximately 25.5'' x 29'' and is stamped at lower left, ''W.J. Stone S.C. Washn.'' Some archival restoration is present, though nearly indiscernible, except for a fold starting at ''July'' at top of document and running lengthwise. Overall in very good condition. A visually stunning example of one of America's most beloved documents.