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yesterday

Rediscovered Jefferson Letter on Right to Bear Arms Fetches $90,000

The 1783 Annapolis letter rediscovered by Nathan Raab now sits in a secure Philadelphia vault pending return to Maryland.

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A letter from Thomas Jefferson, written from Annapolis towards the end of the Revolutionary War, advocating for the right to bear arms, will go on sale on Independence Day for $90,000. (The Raab Collection/Courtesy)

Overview

  • The letter, penned by Jefferson to Governor Benjamin Harrison V on December 31, 1783, advocates for the right to bear arms by citing European republican movements.
  • Nathan Raab of the Pennsylvania-based Raab Collection uncovered the document in New England and offered it for sale on July 4.
  • It sold for its $90,000 asking price to a private collector from the Annapolis area, significantly above the $10,000–$15,000 range of typical Jefferson letters.
  • The manuscript had been missing from University of Virginia archives for decades after a private collector acquired it in 1982.
  • The letter’s sale marks the first market appearance of a Declaration signer’s correspondence specifically on armed citizenry and highlights its unique historical importance.