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| Magna Carta copy to be auctioned | Magna Carta copy to be auctioned |
| (1 day later) | |
| A rare copy of the Magna Carta, the document that enshrined civil rights in English law, is to be sold in New York. | A rare copy of the Magna Carta, the document that enshrined civil rights in English law, is to be sold in New York. |
| The copy owned by the Perot Foundation is expected to fetch more than $20m (£9.94m), auctioner Sotheby's says. | The copy owned by the Perot Foundation is expected to fetch more than $20m (£9.94m), auctioner Sotheby's says. |
| The copy on sale, sealed by King Edward I and dating from 1297, is the only one in private ownership. King John sealed the original Magna Carta in 1215. | The copy on sale, sealed by King Edward I and dating from 1297, is the only one in private ownership. King John sealed the original Magna Carta in 1215. |
| The 1297 manuscript, bought by H Ross Perot in 1984, is due to be auctioned in December. | |
| It was on view until recently in the National Archives in Washington. | It was on view until recently in the National Archives in Washington. |
| The Magna Carta came into being as the result of a dispute between King John and English barons, and it went some way towards limiting the authority of the king. | The Magna Carta came into being as the result of a dispute between King John and English barons, and it went some way towards limiting the authority of the king. |
| The charter guaranteed basic freedoms and property rights to those considered "free men". | The charter guaranteed basic freedoms and property rights to those considered "free men". |
| Its most notable legacy in present-day English law is the principle of Habeas Corpus, which protects people against unlawful imprisonment. | Its most notable legacy in present-day English law is the principle of Habeas Corpus, which protects people against unlawful imprisonment. |
| Only four copies dating to the 1215 signing of the Magna Carta are believed to have survived, and all of them are in England. | Only four copies dating to the 1215 signing of the Magna Carta are believed to have survived, and all of them are in England. |