Sotheby’s says it will auction a rare copy of the Magna Carta, the document that enshrined civil rights in English law. The vellum manuscript owned by the Perot Foundation is estimated to sell for US $20 million to US $30 million, according to the auction house.

The 1297 manuscript, bought by H Ross Perot in 1984, was on view until recently in the National Archives in Washington.

The document came into being as the result of a dispute between King John and English barons. The barons forced the king to agree to the charter, which guaranteed basic freedoms and property rights to those considered “free men.” It also placed some limitations on the authority of the king. It gave rise to the principle of Habeas Corpus, in use today, which protects people against unlawful imprisonment.

The copy on sale, sealed by King Edward I and dating from 1297, is the only one in private ownership.

Posted: 11|23|07 at 10:34 am. Filed under: US News.