Harvard learned it has an authentic Magna Carta. In 1946, it paid less than $28 for it

A transcript of the 1300 mentation of the Magna Carta connected show astatine the Harvard Law School. Lorin Granger/Harvard Law School hide caption

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Lorin Granger/Harvard Law School

It wasn't precisely similar the large uncover connected the Antiques Roadshow. But 1 time successful December 2023, David Carpenter, a prof of medieval past astatine King's College London, was searching done the integer archives of the Harvard Law Library erstwhile helium clicked connected a papers that would go the biggest find of his career.

It had been labeled arsenic a 1327 transcript of the Magna Carta, "somewhat rubbed and damp-stained," according to the archive's description. But Carpenter knew astir instantly erstwhile helium opened the papers that it wasn't arsenic advertised: "What bash I spot earlier my eyes? For each the satellite [it] seemed to maine an archetypal of the 1300 Magna Carta." He instantly thought, "Oh, my God, this isn't known astatine all."

It was a singular find not lone for Carpenter, but for Harvard — particularly since the assemblage had paid a London bookseller conscionable $27.50 (about $460 adjusted for inflation) for the papers successful 1946. An authentic Magna Carta sold successful 2007 for $21.3 million.

The Magna Carta is 1 of the astir important documents successful past and profoundly influenced the framers of the U.S. Constitution. First signed by England's King John successful 1215, it aimed to circumscribe the king's powerfulness and found the rule that adjacent the monarchy is not supra the law. It besides guaranteed definite rights specified arsenic protections from arbitrary imprisonment and the close to owed process.

But the papers went done six antithetic iterations passim the 13th Century, the last 1 dating to 1300. "It is, successful a way, the past Magna Carta ... the last emphatic Magna Carta," Carpenter says.

Searching done Harvard's integer archives, determination were a fewer giveaways that tipped Carpenter disconnected that helium was looking astatine an authentic copy. "In particular, the missive E of the 'Eduardus,' the king confirming the charter ... looked precise akin to the missive successful the different originals" of the celebrated document, Carpenter says. "It intelligibly was Edward I confirming Magna Carta. And the day astatine the extremity was 1300."

But his intuition inactive needed scholarly backing. Carpenter brought successful a colleague, Nicholas Vincent, a prof of medieval past astatine the University of East Anglia and a chap Magna Carta expert. "We combined forces to effort and beryllium that we were close because, you know, archetypal impressions tin beryllium misleading," Carpenter says.

They contacted Harvard, requesting an ultraviolet scan truthful they could analyse the papers much closely. That's erstwhile Jonathan Zittrain, caput of the Harvard Law School library, archetypal learned determination was immoderate involvement successful the document.

Jonathan Zittrain, a prof of planetary instrumentality and Harvard Law School's vice dean for room and accusation services. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer hide caption

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Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

"There's not ever a 'eureka' moment, wherever it's similar 'Ah, yes,' " Zittrain says. "You've got to necktie unneurotic a fig of threads to fig retired the authenticity of something."

"We were precise fortunate that our British colleagues were successful a presumption with their deep, heavy expertise connected precisely this topic, to look astatine a digitized copy of our holding," helium adds. "They could past bash a clump of preliminary enactment from their desks."

Carpenter says portion copies of the Magna Carta are abundant, originals are rather rare — with lone astir 2 twelve known to exist. There are lone six different known copies of the 1300 mentation of the papers similar the 1 astatine Harvard.

Zittrain says it's serendipity that the document's authenticity was ever discovered — 1 that "nobody mightiness person thought was successful the cards."

He credits not lone Carpenter and Vincent, but Harvard's determination to digitize their archives truthful that the nationalist astatine ample tin entree them. "And of course," Zittrain adds, "it makes you wonder, gosh, what other bash we person betwixt the sofa cushions?"