Who said discoveries are no longer found? A recently-discovered manuscript of the Declaration of Independence written in the hand of Samuel Jones of New York, who is credited with securing New Yorks ratification of the United States Constitution by breaking the impasse over the inclusion of a bill of rights, ca. 1788, was found in a plain blue book at a library book sale. Discovered by a collectorwho purchased an incomplete set of 18th-century Laws of New York, the plain book, worth approximately $100 and rebound in unattractive blue Buckram fabric from the 1950s, was unremarkable at first glance. Unbeknownst to the buyer at the time of purchase, the volume later turned out to contain the actual handwritten manuscript of the Declaration of Independence penned by Samuel Jones (1734-1819). This is the first time a manuscript version of the Declaration written in the hand of an important participant in the nations founding has ever appeared at auction, and the only one known to be held privately. Jones penned the Declaration as it appears within the text of what stands as the earliest complete manuscript of the 1777 New York State Constitution, the only state constitution to quote the Declarations text in full. Jones likely penned this manuscript in 1788 for use in the New York Ratification Convention, and it may have been intended to play a similar role that has been suggested for the recently-discovered Sussex Declaration. The manuscript, with numerous marginal notations in Jones hand, was likely brought to the Constitutional Convention in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. by Jones. The volume, bound previously and then rebound about 70 years ago, indicates Printed by John Holt, Printer to the State, 1782. The watermarks of the paper date to 1787 and correspond with the time of the New York Constitutional Convention. Jones penned the Declaration as it appears within the text of what stands as the earliest complete manuscript of the 1777 New York State Constitution. The detailed authentication process was conducted by Peter Klarnet at Christies with additional analysis by John P. Kaminski, a renowned Constitutional scholar and director of the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin. Atthe New York conventioninPoughkeepsie,where they were considering ratifying theConstitution, Jones broke the impasse about whether a bill of rightsshould be added. It was Jones who proposed removing the words on condition that a listing of rights would be added and proposed to insert the words in full confidence that a listing of rights would be added; Jones won that battle by two votes, which assured both the success of the Constitution as well as the later addition of the Bill of Rights. This document played a key role in shaping the nations founding principles and is the only privately held 18th-century manuscript of the Declaration of Independence according to the census maintained by Harvard Universitys Declaration Resource Project. It is a unique artifact tied directly to the establishment of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution, and this auction marks the first time a manuscript of the Declaration by such a significant figure has ever been available. Its historical importance and scarcity make it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors and institutions alike, states Peter Klarnet. It was consigned to Christies, given an estimate of $2,000,000-$3,000,000, and realized $2,470,000 on Jan. 24. The provenance as stated by Christies is Samuel Jones (1734-1819) his son, David S. Jones (1777-1848, ownership signature on title page of Laws of New-York) Presented to the New York Law Institute, Jan. 19, 1887, by Charles W. Sloane (d. 1929, note on title page of Laws of New-York) deaccession. Tolearn more, visit www.christies.com. Images courtesy Christies.