Harvard's Magna Carta 'copy' is actually rare relic

HARVARD'S law school library paid $27.50 (R492) in 1946 to acquire what was billed as a “somewhat rubbed and damp-stained” copy of the Magna Carta from 1327 to add to its robust collection of medieval texts.

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But British researchers now have determined that Harvard’s Magna Carta is in fact an original from King Edward I's 1300 re-issue of that pivotal document - one of just seven to survive — that forms the basis for the constitutions of many nations.

“This is a fantastic discovery,” said King’s College London medieval history professor David Carpenter in a Thursday announcement of the finding, adding that the Magna Carta is among the “most significant documents in world constitutional history”.

A Harvard Law spokesperson said the school has not assessed the current value of its Magna Carta but called it an “invaluable historical document and resource”.

An original Magna Carta from 1297 sold at auction for $21.3 million in 2007.