Christie’s and King Manor Museum present a special exhibition of a rare printed draft of the Constitution, owned by Founding Father Rufus King

An extremely rare, printed draft of the United States Constitution featuring handwritten notes from Founding Father Rufus King will be on free, public display for limited time at the King Manor Museum in Queens, NY from Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21.

The special exhibition at King Manor Museum—Rufus King’s home and historic site—is presented by Christie’s auction house, which will offer the rare document as part of its annual Americana sale in January 2026.

The free exhibition offers a sneak peek of the document and sale, which will coincide with the 250th anniversaryof the United States. This gives the public an opportunity to see an extremely rare and important document, likely the only obtainable copy of any printed draft of the Constitution. It is the second printed draft of the U.S. Constitution used during the Convention in Philadelphia, and the first to print the iconic phrase “We, the People of the United States . . .” rather than listing the individual states by name. It is also one of just 12 known remaining copies of the second printed draft of the Constitution, and the first copy to come to auction in more than four decades; all other known copies are held in museums, libraries and other institutional collections.

The document will be on public display from 12 to 4 PM beginning Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21.