A copy of the original “Join Or Die” cartoon is going up for auction. The image was printed in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette more than 250 years ago and the only other original copy is held in the Library of Congress.
What to Know
- The JOIN or DIE cartoon was designed by Benjamin Franklin and published in his newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754.
- The cartoon has resurfaced at a Los Angeles area auction. It is being listed at $40,000 minimum bid and will begin Thursday at 5 p.m.
- According to the Nate D. Sanders Auction, it is the "very first printing" and one of two remaining copy's in the entire country.
The original copy of one of the most influential political cartoons in American history has surfaced in a Los Angeles area auction.
The 264-year-old "JOIN or DIE" cartoon, believed to be created by Benjamin Franklin, is listed at the Nate D. Sanders Auction to begin taking bids Thursday at 5 p.m. The starting price is listed at $40,000.
According to the auction's website, the piece listed is "the very first printing" of the cartoon which appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
The Library of Congress in Washington D.C is believed to possess the only other remaining copy of this historic document.
On May 9, 1754, Benjamin Franklin created and published the cartoon of a rattlesnake cut into 8 pieces to symbolize the newly formed colonies.
"JOIN or DIE" was a message to the colonies to come together and fight against the French or die during the Seven Years War.
