A Silver Facsimile Of The Magna Carta, One Of The Landmarks Of Western Law

(MAGNA CARTA). The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, was an agreement between King John and rebel lords who were angry with the kings unchecked powers. The legal document agreed that the King was not above the law, Royal officials had legal limits and established the freedom of the church.Silver facsimile. 1977. London. A silver facsimile of the Magna Carta and the double-sided seal of King John. This artifact was produced in 1977 by Louis Osman, a famous English silversmith and goldsmith. The text is raised and it is mounted onto an orange leather backing. It is further contained in two custom boxes, along with a space for the King John seal. There were supposed to be 500 replicas made, and this is number 118, as marked in the lower right corner. The British government loaned one of the four known Magna Cartas to the United States in 1976 in honor of its Bicentennial. Osman made the custom case that held the Magna Carta while in America. The next year, Osman created this silver facsimile. Osman also made a separate Magna Carta facsimile that is permanently located in the United States Capitol crypt. The silver facsimile is based on one of the two Magna Cartas held in the British Library, known as the Cotton MS Augustus II.106. The artifact has some silver tarnish on it (although the overwhelming majority has been removed) and the custom box has a few nicks and faults. An unusual memento of one of the great legal documents of the West.