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Magna Carta For Sale
The only copy of the Magna Carta in private hands goes on sale in Sotheby's, New York in mid-December. A foundation owned by billionaire and former US Presidential candidate Ross Perot is selling his copy of the 13th century document, described as "the most important document of all". Perot bought his, one of seventeen said to survive, in 1984 for $1.5 million. The sale is expected to raise $20-$30 million.
The Herald Tribune reports that while the 1297 Perot Magna Carta is several decades younger than other surviving copies (the first was signed in 1215), it is thought by some to be the most important as the text it carries was entered into England's statue books.
Magna Carta became the fundamental basis for English law, and later, the US Bill of Rights and Constitution.
A translation of the 1297 Perot Magna Carta is available here. A large image of the document can be viewed at the same site.
