# Question about old legal documents and their value **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797 "2003-08-31T12:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/1 "2003-08-31T12:18:12Z")
Can anybody give me an idea of the value, if any, of some papers I have. They are ink on a parchment type paper, dating from about 1800 to 1900. The font is in a flowing, classical style. The parchments are quite large, up to 3 feet by 2 feet in size. The papers appear to be mostly legal documents, ranging from probates, conveyences, deeds and registry of land. The land is mostly London and surrounding areas. Many appear to have large red wax seals on them. The papers were given to me by someone who was house clearing, and I just thought they may have some value. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/2 "2003-08-31T12:59:06Z")
Unless they are related to a famous person, they’ll be unlikely to be worth anything except to a collector of such documents. Perhaps a local museum would be interested. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/3 "2003-08-31T17:18:01Z")
The owners of the properties involved might be interested. Would they have legal value, ie be necessary evidence of ownership of any of the land? It seems unlikely though, if property transfers were recorded in a property office in London during that period, as they most likely were. In the US it’s done in the County’s Recorder of Deeds office. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/4 "2003-08-31T23:10:32Z")
IANA appraiser, but I would guess that Mr. Blue Sky is right. If you donate them to a museum or a university library you might be able to get some kind of tax deduction, though — I don’t know how such things work in the UK, but it might be worth looking into. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/5 "2003-09-02T03:41:10Z")
Actually, there is a market for such things amongst lawyers, as decorative pieces for their offices. In London, shops selling old prints/books sometimes sell this kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_s_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/6 "2003-09-02T03:59:28Z")
Such documents are being sold on ebay. 🙂 [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2554683285&category=356](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2554683285&category=356) ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/7 "2003-09-02T04:22:36Z")
**Herge,** how are you caring for them? I work in a museum, and if you’d like, I can give you some advice on proper storage to ensure preservation. ---
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/8 "2003-09-02T10:24:03Z")
Lissa, I am just keeping them in a plastic bag at the moment! Any tips you can give me would be nice, thanks. Thanks to all that replied, still not sure what to do with them yet. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/9 "2003-09-03T00:00:04Z")
Are they folded, or laid flat? Over time, the folds can break down. I suggest laying them flattened out in an acid-free box, and layering them with sheets of acid-free paper. The plastic bag is only good for the short term. Over time, some plastics can “off-gas,” which can stain or damage paper. You can buy archival-quality plastic envelopes for each document which would provide excellent protection. Keep the documents out of the light as much as possible, and store them in an area of the house in which temperature and humidity levels don’t fluctuate much. Don’t handle them with your bare hands-- wear gloves. The oils on your skin can damage the paper. Handle them as little as possible, and try to avoid bending them. It’s always best to move them by laying them on something stiff, like a sheet of cardboard, to keep them flat. (Just holding the document by the corners or edges of the paper can cause stress tears, especially with the added weight of the wax seals.) Don’t use any metal paper clips or rubber bands to bind them together or, God forbid, staples. These rust and break down, leaving unsightly marks on paper. Never, ever, \*ever \* use scotch tape to repair tears. (Leave any repairs to the experts.) ---
**Author:** ![wiz1024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e79b87/32.png) [@wiz1024](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wiz1024)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/10 "2015-02-23T23:48:29Z")
Hi folks I’m new. I saw where a question was asked about value of old documents. We have a set land papers of Okla Territory and been trying to find out if they have any value. Thanks, sorry so long ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/11 "2015-02-24T01:41:37Z")
I collect such things if they’re hand written and legible. But value is in the 10s of dollars, usually unless they go back to the 1700s or before. Then they can get pricey. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/12 "2015-02-24T01:47:36Z")
What **Northern Piper** said, though I’ll add that such things are generally worth much less in the UK than they are on this side of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/13 "2015-02-24T13:34:26Z")
I saw the interesting thread title, started reading from the newest posts, and said, “Wait, I didn’t post anything to this thread! What’s **RNATB** talking about?” Then I read the start date. What an insightful comment - it’s exactly what I came in here to post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/14 "2015-02-24T14:14:34Z")
Since the thread has been resurrected, and having been through a situation with lost deeds, here in the U.K., people finding such documents should contact the [Land Registry](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry), because many deeds were lost in WW2. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/15 "2015-02-24T14:16:59Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I saw the interesting thread title, started reading from the newest posts, and said, “Wait, I didn’t post anything to this thread! What’s **RNATB** talking about?” Whoops. I didn’t even realize it was a zombie. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/16 "2015-02-24T15:09:51Z")
> [@MaryEFoo](#): > > The owners of the properties involved might be interested. > > Would they have legal value, ie be necessary evidence of ownership of any of the land? It seems unlikely though… How often do people come across documents that have a significant _legal_ value? An occasional plot device in fiction is coming across ancient stock certificates bought for a trifle in 1805 that turn out to be worth millions today (Ye Internationale Businesse Machinerie and Farm Equippment Concerne?), or coming across a valid deed to a gold mine and suddenly seizing its riches from those who are operating it today. However, most legal documents like this nowadays are issued in the name of a specific holder, and can’t be transferred casually from hand-to-hand or in the drawer of a desk long since thrown away. Also, real estate is often subject to Adverse Possession rules, so commonly you can’t enforce a 200-year-old deed even if it is otherwise perfectly valid. ---
**Author:** ![Theresap1701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Theresap1701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theresap1701)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/17 "2016-05-04T17:13:53Z")
I have been clearing out a relatives house and have found a lot of very old legal documents dating from the 1700s - mid 1800s. Do they have any value at all and where is the best place to take them? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/18 "2016-05-05T01:55:37Z")
Old legal documents have negligible value. Some people value them for aesthetic reasons - as Northern Piper pointed out back the late middle ages some lawyers like to frame them and hang them in the client areas of their offices - but since there’s a vast supply of obsolete legal documents out there, this rather modest demand does not drive the price up. The only think that might drive the price up a bit is if the document relates to a well-known place, or to a well-known person, or has even been executed by a well-known person. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/19 "2016-05-05T01:59:25Z")
First, read **Lissa’s** [post #9](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3928036&postcount=9) … then I’d take them to an appraiser or a museum … the older ones may have a bit more value. ETA: … and who signed it … ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-legal-documents-and-their-value/198797/20 "2016-05-05T03:37:38Z")
Check eBay sold items; that is the market you could use.