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Lot 233
Declaration of Independence - Peter Force Rice Paper Copy. In 1823, William J. Stone was commissioned by Congress to create a copperplate from which facsimile copies of the Declaration could be made. He did this by wetting the original document and transferring some of the original ink to the copperplate. From this plate, Stone printed 201 copies on parchment, which were given to President James Monroe, original Signers, members of Congress, colleges and institutions, etc. Stone's personal copy is in the Smithsonian. Only 31 of Stone's original 201 copies are known to exist; nineteen of these reside in museums and examples are rarely offered for sale.
In 1843, Congress authorized Peter Force to make up to 1500 rice-paper copies of the Declaration from the original Stone copperplate, to be included in his American Archives, which Force projected to be a 20-volume series of primary sources of American history from the 17th century to 1789. The work was begun under contract with the Department of State and by Act of Congress but Force stopped work on the project when further funding was not forthcoming. Subscriptions were fewer than expected, and the actual number of copies printed is unknown, ranging from 500 to around 1,000. It is not known how many of these copies have survived.
This rice paper copy, from Peter Force's American Archives, measures 31 x 25½ inches. Since Peter Force used Stone's copperplate, "W.J. Stone S.C. WASHN" is engraved below the first row of names. This copy of the Declaration is toned all over and has some edge tears which are presently being treated by a conservator from the Huntington Library (paid for by the consignor); the treatment will be finished by May 11. These Declarations are extremely desirable. The last several copies to come on the market have sold for over $30,000.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 30,000.
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| Realized $20,700 |
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