WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Archives is preparing to unveil its 715-year-old copy of the Magna Carta after a conservation effort removed old patches and repaired weak spots in the paper that holds the English declaration of human rights.
A $ 13.5 million gift from philanthropist David Rubenstein funded conservation of the only original Magna Carta in the United States. Rubenstein bought the historic document at auction in 2007 for $21.3 million and sent it to the National Archives on a long-term loan.
Today, conservators will show the document in its new protective case and discuss how it will be preserved.
Rubenstein’s gift also is funding an upcoming exhibit.
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