Man buys $4 painting for the frame — finds lost copy of the 'Declaration of Independence' hidden inside

Many times, we come across valuable artifacts, yet we discard them, finding them not worthy enough. But who knows whether these important pieces of history are far more valuable than our own precious possessions? Similarly, when a man realized he was sitting on a treasure following his thrift adventure, he was left speechless. The collector from Pennsylvania stumbled upon an average painting with a striking frame at a flea market in 1989. Following his passion for antiques, he purchased it for $4 and was satisfied with his find, as per The New York Times.

Little did he know that something was hidden inside the art piece, which would eventually change his life forever. When the collector opened the “dismal painting” from its back to keep the frame, he came across a vintage document—it was the Declaration of Independence. Notably, the valuable document was one of just 25 from the original batch printed after 13 North American British colonies announced their separation from Britain, reported the outlet. He was intrigued but remained largely unaware of its value and kept it with him purely out of curiosity.

Finding the immaculate first printing of a vital U.S. document was rare, and it took two years for him to realize its value. After consulting with the experts, he decided to auction it in 1991. The copy of the Declaration of Independence was reportedly sold for $2.2 million to the highest bidder. Years later, in the early 2000s, the vintage document was auctioned again for a whopping $7.4 million, reported Unilad. The discovery was first announced by David N. Redden, head of the book and manuscript department at Sotheby's in Manhattan. Describing it as an “unspeakably fresh copy” of the Declaration, Redden told The New York Times: “The fact that it has been in the backing of the frame [has] preserved it.”

According to the book and manuscript expert, only three Declaration of Independence copies were owned by private individuals among the 24 known to survive at the time. Redden claimed that the unidentified owner had purchased the painting—“a dismal dark country scene with a signature he could not make out”—for its gilded and ornately carved frame. However, after some time, the owner got rid of both the painting and its frame when they were of no use to him. “But he kept the declaration, which he had found behind the painting,” Redden told the outlet.

“It was folded up, about the size of a business envelope. He thought it might be an early 19th-century printing and worth keeping as a curiosity,” Redden continued. The owner also sought advice from his friend and printing specialist at Sotheby’s, Selby Kiffer. After he showed it to the Americana expert, the latter became “quite enthusiastic and urged him to look into it further," according to the outlet. “The discovery of any first-printing copy of the declaration, even a fragmentary one or a poor copy, would be exciting,” Kiffer acknowledged, adding that it was in good condition. “There has been absolutely no restoration, no repair. It was unframed and unbacked.”