Hedge fund billionaire and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin secured a copy of the U.S. Constitution this week with a $43.2 million auction bid that beat out thousands of crypto users who banded together to acquire the extremely rare first-run printing.
The Citadel CEO, who is also an art collector, plans to loan the document to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., a free museum founded by philanthropist and Walmart heiress Alice Walton. Citadel confirmed that Griffin made the winning bid at Thursday’s Sotheby’s auction. Sotheby’s said it set a world auction record for any book, manuscript, historical document or printed text.
“The U.S. Constitution is a sacred document that enshrines the rights of every American and all those who aspire to be,” Griffin said in a statement. “That is why I intend to ensure that this copy of our Constitution will be available for all Americans and visitors to view and appreciate in our museums and other public spaces.”
