US Declaration found in Kew archives

history and cultures#topic

An American bookseller carrying out research at the National Archives in Kew has uncovered a rare copy of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The Dunlap print has been kept in perfect condition in the archive and becomes one of only 26 known surviving copies of the seminal document in the world.

Not only is the print extremely rare, it is also extremely valuable. The last discovery of a Dunlap print at a flea market in 1989 sold at auction for $8.14 million (£4.98 million) although a spokeswoman from the National Archives said it will not be cashing in on the new find.

However, she did say that a return trip across the Atlantic to its ancestral home is not out of the question as the Archives already has three copies in storage.

"The Americans are very excited by it. We do often loan out our key documents and I'm sure if an American institution wanted to borrow it, we would consider lending it to them," she said.

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