NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- Just blocks from where U.N. diplomats debate their interpretations of tyranny and democracy , what may be the first document to articulate the difference is going up for sale . The version of the Magna Carta up for auction has been on display at the National Archives in Washington . Sotheby 's will auction off one of the earliest versions of the Magna Carta later this year , the auction house announced Tuesday . This will be the first time any version of the Magna Carta has ever gone up for auction , according to David Redden , vice chairman of Sotheby 's . The Magna Carta is expected to fetch at least $ 20 million to $ 30 million , Redden said . Redden , who has also sold dinosaur bones , space race artifacts and a first printing of the Declaration of Independence , called the Magna Carta `` the most important document on earth . '' The charter mandated the English king to cede certain basic rights to his citizens , ensuring that no man is above the law . Many believe the Magna Carta was the first document to recognize the legal right to freedom from tyranny , an influential concept to American political philosophers -- from the founding fathers to the modern presidency . The version to be auctioned is one of fewer than 20 known copies of the Magna Carta , which means `` Great Charter '' in Latin . The document was first devised in 1215 , but not confirmed into English law until 1297 -- the year this version was issued and sealed by King Edward I . The document is one of only two copies of the charter that exist outside of England , according to Sotheby 's . This Magna Carta and another version in Australia are the only two ever to have been privately sold . The version up for auction rested for six centuries with the Brundell family in Deene Park , England , until being bought in 1984 by businessman Ross Perot . Since then , the Perot Foundation has kept the copy on display at the National Archives in Washington . The Perot Foundation plans to distribute the money from the auction to various causes such as medical research and helping wounded soldiers . The Magna Carta will be coming up for auction during the week of December 10 . E-mail to a friend .
Sotheby 's to auction one of the earliest versions of the Roman Carta . Document expected to go for at least $ 20 million to $ 30 million . Charter for king to grant certain basic rights to slaves . Ross Perot bought this house in Florida .