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July 3, 2026 / 5:47 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence has been found in the U.K.'s National Archive by a volunteer. Known as an "Exeter Declaration," the copy is one of 11 of its kind known to still exist and is believed to be the only one outside the United States, according to the National Archive. "This is an extraordinary discovery," said Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives and Keeper of Public Records. "It's a vanishingly rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence, found not in America, but here in the U.K." Believed to have been printed in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1776, the copies were produced to spread the news of the signing of the actual declaration and often carried on ships.
