Bill of Rights Back in Philly

Constitution Center to display rare original document

One of the 12 surviving copies of the Bill of Rights is coming to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

The rare document is owned by The New York Public Library, which has made an unusual 100-year loan agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The New York Library acquired its Bill of Rights in 1896 as a donation from a collector and library trustee. It hasn't been displayed for decades for preservation reasons.

The document will be at the National Constitution Center for three years starting in the fall of 2014.

Of the 14 original copies -- one for each of the colonies, plus Congress -- four went missing from their home states, including Pennsylvania.

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