Louisiana Purchase signed documents tied to French ratification sell for $82,394 at RR Auction
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOSTON, Feb. 12, 2026 — Two Louisiana Purchase diplomatic documents sold for $82,394 at RR Auction. The group was highlighted by a May 23, 1803 manuscript signed by James Monroe, Robert R. Livingston, and François Barbé-Marbois.
Signed in Paris by American diplomats Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe and French official Barbé-Marbois, the document acknowledges receipt of the treaty and conventions ratified by Napoleon Bonaparte and directs that the paperwork be sent to President Thomas Jefferson “without delay.”
Also included was a May 28, 1803 letter signed by Barbé-Marbois. In the letter, written on French Public Treasury letterhead, he requests the temporary return of the treaty materials so additional official copies could be prepared and references instructions being finalized by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand.
The Louisiana Purchase agreement, finalized in 1803, doubled the size of the United States and secured control of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. The ratification process unfolded amid renewed conflict between France and Great Britain and debate within Jefferson’s cabinet over the purchase’s constitutionality.
“This document sits directly inside one of the most consequential transactions in American history,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. “It is not a later commemoration. It records the mechanics of the transfer, signed by the diplomats responsible for moving the agreement forward.”
Additional highlights from the sale, which totaled $1,039,036:
Stephen Hawking signed book sold for $24,956
John Law signed Louisiana document sold for $24,630
Beatles-signed ‘Love Me Do’ singles sold for $21,889
George Washington presidential document sold for $18,751
Rasputin autograph letter sold for $15,101
Edison autograph letter sold for $14,815
The Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring Presidents auction opened Jan. 20 and closed Feb. 11, 2026.
For more information, visit www.rrauction.com.
