Copy of Magna Carta, Bought for $27, Turns Out to Be Original

The prestigious Harvard University has discovered that a document in its collection, long thought to be a copy of the Magna Carta, is actually an original. Purchased for $27.50 in 1946, the document is now worth millions.

British historian David Carpenter identified the document while reviewing Harvard's online collection. Despite being labeled as a copy, Carpenter noticed similarities to the original Magna Carta.

The Magna Carta, signed in 1215 by King John of England, established the principle that the king was subject to the law. This foundational document influenced later legal systems, including the Dutch Plakkaat van Verlatinghe, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the French Revolution.

Only four original copies of the 1215 document survive, with most held in the UK. Harvard's newly identified version is one of the few outside Britain.