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Rare RR Donnelly Declaration Of Independence - $500 (Lexington)
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Declaration of Independence - The scarce copy here offered was created from Corn's original Dunlap Broadside printing.
The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was taken to John Dunlap, a Philadelphia printer, who was the official printer for the Continental Congress. The Dunlap copies were delivered to Congress, then dispatched to assemblies, conventions, committees and Commanders, Congress keeping one for their journal. No one knows for sure just how many John Dunlap printed; however, over time, only 26 known copies have surfaced. Each is known as the ‘Dunlap Broadside’. Size: 15¾ inches by 19½ inches on verso at lower left: FACSIMILE Reproduced by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, The Lakeside Press from the original owned by Ira G. Corn, Jr. and Joseph P. Driscoll The Dunlap Broadside used was discovered in 1968 on a bookshelf at Leary’s Book Store in Philadelphia when the bookstore was closing after 132 years in business. It was purchased at auction by Ira G. Corn, Jr. and Joseph P. Driscoll, Dallas business executives, for $404,000 in 1970. They first restored the docume!
nt and then commissioned R.R. Donnelly & Sons Company, The Lakeside Press, to produce a limited set of facsimiles. Every detail from the paper type to the type of printing was faithful to the original. Heavy Dutch chain laid paper was obtained from near the place of origin as Dunlap’s Dutch paper. The printing was on a hand letter press with heavy impressions as exact as possible to the original. The paper has the same chain lines (both horizontal and vertical) as the original. There is a slight wrinkle in the lower left corner, as on the original, the edges were die cut to the exact worn edges of the Dunlap original. Stains were replicated, age marks made, all exactly the original as it is today, even to the point of matching the back of the broadside to the original. In 1978, Corn and Driscoll presented their Dunlap Declaration to the City of Dallas. There is a printed statement on the back. There is a printed statement on the back declaring it as a copy to prevent any future confusion as to its exact age, and will authenticate it as an Ira Corn Declaration. It is not known how many copies Ira Corn actually produced or how many exist today.
For those patriots who are still reading, you understand what significance this document holds, especially now 250 years later as we celebrate America's birthday!