May 15, 2025 - History

It took 78 years for Harvard to discover its fake Magna Carta is real

Mike Deehan

Harvard Law School bought what it thought was a copy of the Magna Carta in 1946 for $27.50 — but it's a real one from 1300 A.D. and worth quite a bit more.

Why it matters: The document has been authenticated as an original Magna Carta from the time of King Edward I, making it one of just seven surviving originals.

A similar Magna Carta sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.

Catch up quick: British medieval historian David Carpenter helped identify the document after he stumbled upon it in Harvard's digital archives.

Authentication involved ultraviolet photography and scanning to match the text and dimensions to other 1300 originals.

Catch up quick: The Magna Carta established that English monarchs are subject to the rule of law. It influenced democratic constitutional development worldwide.

What's next: Harvard doesn't yet know if it will display the document publicly.

It's not like the university is facing financial hard times or anything.

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It took 78 years for Harvard to discover its fake Magna Carta is real

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