Magna Carta

David Rubenstein, a private equity tycoon and philanthropist, has acquired an incredible collection of historical papers and artifacts believed to be worth $50 million. Rather than keeping his prizes to himself, he has prominently exhibited them across the nation's capital.

His Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, hangs in the Office, while his replica of the thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery and was also signed by Lincoln, is on display at the Smithsonian. And the Library of Congress keeps one of the oldest maps of post-revolutionary America. Rubenstein's most recent acquisition—the $14.2 million Bay Psalms Book, considered to be America's first book—will shortly be given to libraries around the nation.

However, the centerpiece of his collection is currently housed in the David M. Rubenstein Exhibit, a roughly $14 million display dedicated to legal rights. The exhibition's centerpiece is Rubenstein's 1297 Magna Carta, one amongst four known to survive. This Magna Carta copy is also the only one that is privately held.

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Price at launch: $21.3M

Author: King John of England