Griffin Investor buys rare copy of the US Constitution for $43.2 million at Sotheby’s Auction

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin beat an attempt by an online cryptocurrency group to buy a copy of the first edition of the U.S. Constitution for $43.2 million at Sotheby’s on Thursday, the house said on Thursday.

Sotheby’s said the hammer fell after an eight-minute bidding battle and set a world auction record for any book, manuscript, historical document or printed text.

Griffin, who founded the $43 billion investment firm Citadel, is a prominent art collector and plans to loan the work to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where it will be displayed.

“The Constitution of the United States is a sacred document that enshrines the rights of all Americans and those who aspire to be,” Griffin said in a statement. “That is why I intend to make sure that this copy of our constitution is available to all Americans and visitors to view and enjoy in our museums and other public places.”

(Por Svea Herbst-Bayliss e Alun John)

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