Harvard Law School's Magna Carta 'copy' bought for $27.50 now believed to be priceless genuine

In 1946, Harvard Law School bought a copy of the Magna Carta from London book dealers Sweet & Maxwell for the derisory price of $27,50 – roughly €400 in 2025, based on inflation.

The book dealers had bought it at a Sotheby’s auction in London, with the catalogue describing the manuscript as a “copy… made in 1327… somewhat rubbed and damp-stained”.