Rare Declaration of Independence Facsimile Found By BetterWorldBooks

By 1820, the Declaration of Independence was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Then Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William Stone to engrave an exact copper facsimile. It's from that copy that all subsequent copies are dedicated.

In 1848, archivist and historian Peter Force printed copies of the Stone engraving alone with his book "American Archives: A Documentary History of the United States of America, Series V, Volume I." The Declaration copy has become a rare collectors items - something that Mercy College had no idea when they were weeding out their library archives. Luckily, instead of just disposing of the books, they had a relationship where they books were collected for BetterWorldBooks.

Regular readers know that BetterWorldBooks is one of my favorite social enterprises. For those who haven't heard of them, they take donated books that libraries and schools would otherwise likely have to throw out, sell them via online marketplace, and reinvest a portion of the profits in literacy programs and nonprofit partners like Books for Africa.

When BetterWorldBooks discovered the map, their Antiquarian, Rare and Collectible Department organized an auction, eventually selling the book and map for $16,000, a new record for BetterWorldBooks. Much of that money will be donated to the Mercy College library and literacy partnersa. It has also prompted BWB to update its commission policy in an effort to expand its collective of rare and out of print books. It will offer 50% commission for any sale of rare books.

BWB continues to be one of the most fluidly integrated social enterprise models around. If you want to support them, check out my monthly recommendations page. Hat-tip to Lucy for this story, and thanks to the National Archives for the photo above.