A manuscript of the Magna Carta, housed at Harvard Law School and purchased in 1946 for $27.50 (now $500), was originally believed to be a copy. However, it was later confirmed to be authentic by two British academics.
“I never expected to discover a Magna Carta in my life,” said David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King’s College London, reflecting on the moment in December 2023.
While the value of the manuscript is difficult to determine, a 710-year-old version of the Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.
The Magna Carta was a medieval English document issued in 1215 that legally limited the king’s powers and strengthened the rights of the people.
In total, only 7 authentic manuscripts of the Magna Carta still exist
“In this case, we are dealing with an institution that is under direct attack by the state itself, so it almost seems destined that it was found where it was at this particular moment,” said Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia. His comment refers to the Trump administration.
The two academics were able to confirm the manuscript’s authenticity after Harvard Law School photographed it under ultraviolet light and then subjected it to various levels of spectral imaging, a technique that can reveal details of historical documents not visible to the human eye.
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