THE JOHNNY-COME-LATELY COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

So-called "original" Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington, D,C,

On July 4, 1776, two days after the Continental Congress voted to declare the American colonies independent, it immediately commissioned a 29-year old Philadelphia printer named John Dunlap to churn out on an expedited basis about 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence for circulation throughout the new nation. One can easily envision Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin (hey, he was a printer--why didn't he do this job himself?) standing around Dunlap's shop at 3:00 in the morning and prodding Dunlap to move faster while criticizing his layout of the document, etc.

These copies, known as the Dunlap Broadsides, are the earliest known examples of the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Broadsides contain the printed names of John Hancock as President of the Continental Congress and Charles Thomson as its secretary, but it bore no signatures. The calligraphic version of the Declaration (see photo above) which is familiar to most people, which was signed defiantly by John Hancock and the other delegates, and which is proudly displayed at the National Archives in Washington, came afterwards. It was inscribed by most of the delegates on August 2, 1776. Some of the delegates were not available to affix their signatures until later, and at least one did not sign it at all. 

Dunlap Broadside

There are 26 copies of the Broadsides known to still exist. Copy Number 25 was found in 1989 in Pennsylvania hidden in a framed picture which the lucky buyer acquired for $4 at a flea market. Producer Norman Lear participated in the purchase of the document in 2000 for $8.14 million and, in 2011, arranged for it to be publicly viewed in selected spots around the country. 

The original document which Dunlap copied has been lost to history. It would probably fetch quite the price on eBay if ever located.

Norman Lear's copy of the Dunlap Broadside being placed on display
at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in
 Abilene, Kansas in 2011. Photo from Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.