Historical documents are one of the most fascinating markets in the antiques and collectibles trade. If authenticated and bought correctly, they can also be excellent financial investments over the long term. Obviously, the subject matter of the document in question is an important factor in establishing value. An authenticated handwritten letter carefully signed by an aging actor or actress may not be as sought after in the next few decades as a carefully crafted original letter written by the likes of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. That said, certain historical documents are almost always guaranteed to stand the test of time due to their subject matter and overall historical significance. I dont think anyone will argue the significance or potential value of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. Documents of this caliber, when authenticated, are the most sought after pieces of history for those who can afford to purchase these kinds of items, and they usually attract top bidding whenever they become available on the open market. On Nov. 18, all eyes were on Sothebys as the company put an original copy of the U.S. Constitution up for bid. The historic manuscript was one of only 13 original copies known. The pre-auction estimate for this important artifact was determined by Sothebys to be in the $15 to $20 million range. That estimate, however, was much too low, as the item in question sold for a whopping $43.2 million dollars, making it the most valuable historical document ever to sell at auction. Normally I would not be commenting on this sale, as I am sure most of the publications that cater to the antiques and collectibles trade will be commenting on this historically significant sale in one form or another. That being said, I find the details of the bidding war that erupted from this particular piece to be fascinating. The winning bid was revealed to be billionaire hedge fund financier Ken Griffen. He was able to outbid a group of retail investors and crypto-currency enthusiasts who managed to pool their resources and attempted to raise close to $40 million dollars in an effort to own the historic document, but in the end, the Wall Street maverick won. This has caused a lot of interesting comments about the sale, with some disliking the fact that a Wall Street billionaire was able to buy an original copy of the U.S. Constitution. Even more shocking than the actual sale and the commentary about the winning bidder were some of the comments I found online in various collecting forums and on YouTube videos that have been made about the historic sale. One starry-eyed commenter wrote on an online collecting forum post that, While there are 13 known copies of the U.S. Constitution, there are lesser known copies of Pokemon trophy cards than that, making certain Pokemon cards rarer than that of an original copy of the U.S. Constitution! Obviously, an original copy of the U.S. Constitution is far more important and thus more valuable than that of a one-of-a-kind Pokemon card, and, spoiler alert, that is never going to change. Sincere apologies to any Pokemon collectors who were thinking of getting a leg up by investing in the next big thing. One of the interesting things that is occurring in the overall antiques and collectibles trade at present time is that there seems to be an unspoken debate between collectors of pop culture artifacts and that of hardcore antique enthusiasts. There are benefits to owning and collecting any item that you have a passion for; however, certain antiques and collectibles do better over the short term and others do better over the long term. I get a lot of interesting emails from readers of this column telling me that comic books appear to be the exception to that rule. Sadly, the current bull comic book market that we find ourselves in is actually quite young, only really getting up to speed since third-party grading transformed the industry back in 2001 with the creation of CGC (Comics Guaranty Corporation). Pokemon collecting has only taken off within the past few years with prices rising exponentially due to mass hysteria and speculation. And dont get me started on the concept of video game grading with allegations of fraud and abuse running rampant throughout the trade. I myself have been accused of adding more fuel to this proverbial firestorm, as pop culture collectors continue to lament some of my commentary about speculation and market manipulation occurring on a mass scale in most pop culture collectibles at present time. The rise of hype filled speculators coming into a lot of these markets has not helped either. In an upcoming column, I will be writing about the differing demographics of collectors and how collectors of various socioeconomic groups view these markets. Until that time, can we at least agree that very few pop culture collectibles will ever be compared to the historical significance of an original copy of the U.S. Constitution? If we can at least agree on that, Ill let you decide if a Wall Street billionaire has a right to own it. Thanks for reading. Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace.