For the Lawyer Who Already Has Everything Else

Just in time for the holidays, the perfect legalistic gift:

On December 11, Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning off the One and Only Genuine Original Magna Carta on the North American continent.  One of only seventeen extant in the world, this copy has long been on display in Washington, D.C., at the National Archives but is actually owned by a closely-held family Foundation established by well-heeled Texan and erstwhile presidential contender Ross Perot.  The auction house is estimating a sales price of $20 to $30 million, making for rather a nice return on investment: Perot originally purchased the document in 1984 for about $1.5 million. 

More details via the New York Times:

The Perot Magna Carta dates to 1297 and was endorsed by King Edward I.  The National Archives said that of the 17 original versions that still exist, 4 are from the reign of John; 8 are from Henry III; and 5 are from Edward I.  Mr. Neilson said that some jurists consider the Perot Magna Carta to be the most important one because it was the one that was entered into the statute books in England.

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Mr. Perot, the onetime independent candidate for president of the United States, bought it from relatives of James Thomas Brudenell, the Earl of Cardigan, who led the charge of the Light Brigade in 1854, during the Crimean War.  The copy was said to have been in the family’s possession since sometime in the Middle Ages.

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In other news: Contrary to all appearances since this past April, this weblog is not defunct.  Practicing law has been more demanding, and other interests have proven more appealing, than writing about the law these many months, but Decs & Excs will rise again -- or so I insist to myself.  Please stay tuned.  Thank you.