Skip to main content
Go to accessibility notice
Home / Historical / 2017 March 8 Rare Books Signature Auction - New York Auction #6174 / Lot #45118
    LOT #45118  | 
    Sold on Mar 8, 2017 for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

    [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833]....

    Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
    • Books:Americana & American History, [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833]....
    • Books:Americana & American History, [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833]....
    Books:Americana & American History, [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833].... Books:Americana & American History, [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833].... View More >
    Sold on Mar 8, 2017 for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
    Make Offer: Make Offer to Owner
    $27,188 or more

    This item's owner is actively responding to offers, usually within 3 days. Most owners in this category are still actively buying, and therefore interested only in offers where they can net (after our 10% fee) an amount sufficiently above today's market value. Owners in this category seldom counter-offer, and will usually simply reject offers placed at current auction values or lower.

    View Recent Offers on Sold Items in this category
    Claim Item:
    Track Item Share this lot

    Sell One of These Currency Converter

    Description

    [Thomas Jefferson]. [William Stone, engraver]. The Declaration of Independence. [Washington, D. C.: circa 1833]. Copper-plate engraving for Peter Force and originally issued in the first volume of his American Archives (published 1837-1853). Single oversized sheet, measuring approximately 25.25 x 29.5 inches. Thin rice paper, folded, as issued. Some paper loss along center vertical fold, including a .5 x 1.75 inches diamond-shaped piece at middle horizontal fold with corresponding loss of paper and short, clean closed tear at upper edge, minor fold separation otherwise; faint offsetting to the text, as often found; minor foxing along left edge. Very good.

    In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William Stone to engrave an exact copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, in order to preserve the deteriorating manuscript. Stone used a wet-ink transfer process to create an exact facsimile, causing further damage to the original. The process took three years to complete, and, in 1824, 201 official parchment copies of the utmost fidelity were printed. Stone delivered 200 of them to the Department of State, and kept one for himself (a copy that now resides in the Smithsonian). In 1833, Congress authorized an ambitious attempt to compile and publish the founding documents of the United States, together with legislative records and historic private correspondence, in what would eventually become Peter Force's American Archives, a Documentary History of the English Colonies in North America. Of a planned twenty volumes, nine were published, covering the years 1774-1776. In order to include an exact replica of the Declaration, Force ordered the second print run on Stone's copper plate. It is estimated as few as 500 copies were produced.



    Auction Info

    Auction Dates
    March, 2017
    8th Wednesday
    Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
    Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
    Page Views: 1,161

    Buyer's Premium per Lot:
    25% on the first $250,000 (minimum $19), plus 20% of any amount between $250,000 and $2,500,000, plus 12% of any amount over $2,500,000 per lot.

    Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
    Calculate Standard Domestic Shipping Sales Tax information

    Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More

    Terms and Conditions  |  Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments |  Glossary of Terms

    Viewing at %
    Please enter a value between % and 100% and press your "Enter" key. Close
    Fit to screen View Full Size Brightness
    Sold on Mar 8, 2017 for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
    Sold on Mar 8, 2017 for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
    Track Item
    Coming soon:

    Sports Collectibles
    Opens about 03/04/2021

    Luxury Real Estate
    Opens about 01/22/2021

    Fine Art
    Opens about 03/03/2021

    Jewelry & Timepieces
    Opens about 03/08/2021

    Movie Posters
    Opens about 03/05/2021

    Comics & Comic Art
    Opens about 03/12/2021

    World & Ancient Coins
    Opens about 03/07/2021

    Currency
    Opens about 03/08/2021

    Fine Art
    Opens about 03/17/2021

    Comics & Comic Art
    Opens about 03/19/2021

    Decorative Art
    Opens about 03/18/2021

    US Coins
    Opens about 03/08/2021

    Jewelry & Timepieces
    Opens about 02/24/2021

    Musical Instruments
    Opens about 03/23/2021

    Photography
    Opens about 03/22/2021

    Fine Art
    Opens about 03/23/2021

    Photography
    Opens about 03/24/2021

    Currency
    Opens about 03/26/2021

    Sports Collectibles
    Opens about 04/01/2021

    US Coins
    Opens about 03/16/2021

    Decorative Art
    Opens about 03/26/2021

    Historical
    Opens about 03/29/2021

    World & Ancient Coins
    Opens about 03/21/2021

    Fine Art
    Opens about 03/31/2021

    Fine Art
    Opens about 04/01/2021

    Currency
    Opens about 04/02/2021

    US Coins
    Opens about 04/02/2021

    US Coins
    Opens about 03/22/2021

    World & Ancient Coins
    Opens about 03/28/2021

    Decorative Art
    Opens about 04/06/2021

    Decorative Art
    Opens about 04/08/2021

    Illustration Art
    Opens about 04/09/2021

    Decorative Art
    Opens about 04/09/2021

    Heritage membership

    Join Now - It's Free

    VIEW BENEFITS
    1. Past Auction Values (prices, photos, full descriptions, etc.)
    2. Bid online
    3. Free Collector newsletter
    4. Want List with instant e-mail notifications
    5. Reduced auction commissions when you resell your
      winnings 
    Consign now
    • Cash Advances
    • More Bidders
    • Trusted Experts
    • Over 200,000 Satisfied Consignors Since 1976
    Only 40 days left to consign to the 2021 June 9 - 10 Rare Books Signature Auction - Dallas!

    Learn about consigning with us

    I don’t often do testimonials but in this case I felt truly obligated to thank Heritage Auctions for the extremely professional job your organization did for me.
    Charlie K.,
    Pittsburgh, PA
    View More Testimonials

    HA.com receives more traffic than any other auction house website. (Source: Similarweb.com)

    Video tutorial

    Getting the most out of search