Harvard's Magna Carta copy turns out to be an original

For 80 years, Harvard Law School believed the Magna Carta it bought for $27.50 was a reproduction. Now, British researchers think the document is a genuine version-one of a few still in existence.

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The Magna Carta was originally written in 1215 and agreed on by King John of England. It was periodically reissued by monarchs over the next century. The one that Harvard has appears to date to 1300, during the reign of Edward I.

A seminal document in legal history, the Magna Carta asserts that the king is subject to the law, and recognises limits in his power. It has influenced constitutions globally, including the US's founding documents.

The document, which spent decades in a vault, is now being secured in an undisclosed location, said Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard Law School professor and chair of its library. He declined to say how much the school believes the document is now worth.

The school is still determining if it will put the newly-verified document on display.