Original Copy of Franklin’s “Join, or Die” Up for Auction Tomorrow!
Attention history geeks! On September 13th, you’ll have the chance to own one of the few remaining original copies of Ben Franklin’s famous “Join, or Die” political cartoon. A copy of the May 9, 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette (Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic) featuring the cartoon and Franklin’s accompanying editorial is going on the auction block during the Beverly Hills Signature Historical Manuscripts Auction in Beverly Hills.
As we all remember from our history classes, Franklin’s editorial called for colonists to unify against the encroaching French and Indian nations. The iconic image’s desired effect wasn’t realized at that point, but true unity was finally achieved when the Brits started pushing the colonies around.
The starting bid is $50,000, but don’t let that dissuade you. After all, included in the Gazette at no extra charge are notices about newly arrived goods from Europe and India, as well as some text regarding the many wondrous usages of snuff.
