One of only two privately held first printings of the U.S. Constitution is now on display at the South Street Seaport Museum in Lower Manhattan, as part of an exhibition marking the country’s 250th anniversary. Of the roughly 500 copies of the Constitution that were printed for delegates to Philadelphia’s Constitutional Convention in September 1787, only 14 have survived. Twelve of these are held by institutions, such as the Library of Congress or the National Archives . The other two are owned by Ken Griffin , the billionaire financier and prominent art collector. Cover of the Official Edition of the United States Constitution, September 17, 1787. Photo courtesy of the South Street Seaport Museum and Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. The first of these acquisitions made an almighty splash. In 2021, Griffin paid $43.2 million for a copy of the Constitution at Sotheby’s , a record for any book, manuscript, or historic document.…