Talk:Physical history of the United States Declaration of Independence

Latest comment: 3 years ago by Errantius in topic Signer's copies

File:USA declaration independence.jpg

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Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:USA declaration independence.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on July 4, 2014. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2014-07-04. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! — Crisco 1492 (talk) 03:32, 15 June 2014 (UTC)Reply

The engrossed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, which was ratified on July 4, 1776, and signed over the following months.

The history of this document is one of reverence and neglect. After being signed, it was moved several times, first with the Continental Congress and later with the Secretary of State. When the British razed Washington during the War of 1812, it was evacuated to Virginia. From 1841 to 1876, the document was on public display in conditions which caused it to fade drastically. Consequently, from 1892 to 1922 it was stored between two glass plates and exhibited only rarely. After a period at the Library of Congress, the engrossed copy is now held by the National Archives. It is exhibited in a titanium-aluminum case filled with argon.Document: Thomas Jefferson et al.

Another Dunlap Broadside

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There is an authenticated Dunlap Broadside (not listed in this article) held by the Westchester County (NY) Archives in Elmsford, NY. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.59.140.245 (talk) 12:45, 27 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

Do you have a good source? Always nice to see more Dunlaps popping up. Randy Kryn 23:08, 27 May 2015 (UTC)Reply
My quick search revealed no Dunlap Broadsides in the Westchester County Archives, but they do have one of 4 known Holt Broadsides. [1] Someday I'll add a section about the Holt Broadside, unless someone beats me to it, which I hope they do. —Kevin Myers 08:09, 28 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

Dunlap Broadside unlisted

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There's an authenticated Dunlap Broadside (like above, not currently listed) currently held in Olin Library at Washington University in St. Louis. Previously owned by the family of Eric P. Newman [2]. Doubtful this is the "private collector" currently listed, as the illustration in the source says it was "sold recently," whereas this copy was owned by the previous owners for 60 years [3]. Can anyone verify if this one is already listed under a different description? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:600:A27F:DFF8:78F0:5A7C:CCF0:FCB9 (talk) 20:01, 6 July 2018 (UTC)Reply

What does the # on the table mean?

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Is there any rhyme or reason to the # next to the copy of the broadside in the table listing them all? If it's order of discovery, I'd expect a date somewhere. Additionally, if it is by order of discovery, the line preceding the table is contradictory: "There were 24 known copies of the Dunlap broadside in 1989, when a 25th broadside was discovered behind a painting bought for four dollars at a flea market" because the 25th it mentions is listed as #23 in the table. Dkkicks (talk) 17:41, 9 December 2019 (UTC)Reply

Modern physical history

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There's no mention on this page of the modern history of the Declaration of Independence since the 1800s. I'd consider that pretty important to be talked about on Wikipedia, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. It it on a different page? If so, it should probably be linked on this one.Yitz (talk) 18:16, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply

The information is here in the section called the Matlack Declaration (the document people usually have in mind when they refer to the DoI as a document), listing events up to 2003. Kevin1776 (talk) 20:35, 22 January 2021 (UTC)Reply

Signer's copies

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Do "signer's copies" merit a section? They seem to be important, because one of them has just sold at auction for $4,420,000: "Historic US document found in Scottish ancestral home sells for £3.2m". BBC News. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021. Errantius (talk) 14:25, 2 July 2021 (UTC)Reply

Here are some more reports: