This cat was so shocked because he wasn't looking for anything valuable, he only bought the ugly, $4 painting because it had a nice frame. (He requested that his identity remain anonymous so we don't know his name).
When he got it home he went to remove the cheap painting from the frame but the frame fell apart in his hands and was unusable. However, he noticed a folded-up paper that was between the painting and the wood backing.
When he unfolded the paper he found that it was a copy of The Declaration Of Independence.
He kept it because he thought it was an interesting curiosity piece but when a friend of his saw it and got excited, the friend urged him to take it to a professional.
That's when he called Sotheby's antique auction house and when the experts saw it they knew it was a fantastic original printing from 1776 and in excellent condition.
The story of the first printing
When the Declaration was signed on July 4th, 1776, the original document was given to printer John Dunlap and he printed off about 200 copies to spread the news of America's independence to the 13 colonies.
Of these first printings there are only 25 known copies that exist today and the $4 copy was one of them!
Sotheby's estimated it's worth at about a million dollars but at auction it sold for $2,422,000.00! The person who bought it sold it at auction 9 years later for 8 million dollars!
I love these types of stories because the wealth happens to these people totally by accident.
It's not like they're out there with their metal detectors everyday looking for treasure, it always takes them by complete surprise. lol. And it can happen to any of us!
Thanks for stopping by folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas
WOW! Incredible!
I would of kept it. I would of had it reframed and hung up on my wall. Seriously, something like this is priceless!
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Yeah if it increased in value to 8 million in 9 years what would it be worth in 20 years?
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I'm going to say around 20 million. Even still I wouldn't sell it.
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You'd leave it in the family Rainbow Man?
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Yes I would :-).
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That's very wise Rainbow Man. Make it a family heirloom.
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Howdy steemitboard and thanks for the upvote and keeping all those stats!
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Pretty cool story. Can you imagine if the guy didn't buy it and it was simply thrown away for being a piece of junk? Now it is preserved. Funny how things work out sometimes. Also good for the two people who sold it and made some money.
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Yes sir, what an investment that turned out to be! And you never know when such a thing could happen to you. Well, you have go to second hand stores and flea markets and such, do you guys do that?
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A fantastic win for this man, and these wins are never by chance. If only ..........
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If only you would be favored by fate or something or someone to have this type of thing happen to you? lol. It's enough to make me want to start visiting flea markets again!
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For added laughs people probably have better odds if they looked around for old hidden treasures then they do spending their money on lottery tickets...lol.
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I'm sure that's true sunlit7, great point!
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I know what you mean, I would too even though I am not a real fan of these markets.
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Yes because you just never know!
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Right!
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Wow, it's really incridible win for the guy.
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Howdy thefurious! I agree and he wasn't even trying to find something valuable!
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I better go and have a look at all my pictures and see if there is anything hidden between them and the frame.
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Yes! Hey do you have any older ones that you bought or they all yours and you are just kidding?
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Just kidding, can't you tell, by now! 😀
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oh. No, I thought you might have a bunch of old paintings! lol.
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Wow! This must have been rather exciting for the person who discovered this document. How fortunate that he didn't disregard it and throw it away. LOve to read about these success stories.
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I do too Trudee. I know these are fluff pieces but I still like them, I'm a sap for feel-good stories, especially these days when the news we get on the tv or radio is all bad!
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I agree with your sentiments regarding the news. It's refreshing to read something positive for a change.
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Howdy today Trudee! Well said. Are you posting this week and how is the weather there, are you in summer?
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Yes we certainly are in summer, it has hit with a vengeance. I'm looking forward to winter already.lol.
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Exactly. You guys cut back on your outdoor outings because of the severe heat?
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Great story!
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I agree, I love these things, and I like flea markets and such things, do you?
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Howdy steem-plus and thanks for the upvote!
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Holy moley! Can you imagine! Kinda makes you want to snatch up everything you find at yard sales, doesn't it?
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It sure does! I would be buying things that looked like they might have a chance of being valuable. I like yard sales and flea markets because you never know what you'll find, do you?
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Wow 👌
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Wow, quite the stroke of luck for that fella!
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Well howdy silvergoldbotty! I agree, and it could happen to any of us. Thanks so much for commenting!
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I'm with @hippie-with-a-gun, I would have wanted to keep it, and having been a Certified Picture Framer in Florida, it would now be archivally framed in a distinct place of honor, most likely lent to a museum.
Then again, Marek would definitely be up for selling it, so who knows?
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Howdy cresendooofpeace! That is very interesting and very wise too. You worked at a frame shop where people would bring in photos and paintings to frame?
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I did indeed, I first worked in a couple of shops owned by other people, and ultimately opened my own studio and gallery, which I ran for a number of years.
I enjoyed it a lot while I did it, but it's not a business I miss, just due to the massive labor involved.
Though one of the things I found most interesting was the stories behind the things people brought in to frame. Fascinating histories.
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Oh I bet that part of the business was so fascinating! I hope you sold the business and made a profit when you had to get out of it.
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Unfortunately, I was rear-ended by a car, and had to close my business due to health reasons, and so was unable to sell it as I was the business.
C'est la vie. I had a good time while I was in it, learned a lot, and was able to pass my knowledge on to many more. Life is good.
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Oh that's a wonderful attitude crescendoofpeace, God bless you. Did the other driver's insurance company pay a decent settlement?
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I didn't get a cash settlement, but his insurance company did pay for me to have chiropractic care and massage therapy for a full year, which ended up with my back and overall health being better than it was before I got hit. So I definitely lucked out in the end.
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Oh I'm glad that the insurance company did the right thing, so many times you hear horror stories of them refusing to pay anything! So you don't have any lasting effects from that accident?
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Lucky dude indeed, sometimes in life you don’t need to stress, good things just barge into your life and you have no choice but to accepted them with your hands wide open. From grass to grace the lucky dude went and it’s amazing how this life works.
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Howdy there dylanmcmiller and welcome to Steemit! Where are you located? I like that phrase "from grass to grace!"
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Thank you very much Janton, I’m from the USA Minnesota to be precise. How about you? And of course the story perfectly suits the phrase from grass to grace. That should have just been the caption.
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Howdy again dylanmcmiller! MN..you guys are having snow yet? I'm in North Texas.
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Of course it’s snowing down here already it’s below 0 degree. How’s it down there at North Texas?
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We've been in the 60's and 70's but today and tomorrow it's in the high 40's so everyone thinks it's freezing cold! lol.
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Lol I totally understand man. But in general I love the weather. Do you?
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