In 1801, Paul Revere bought a home near Boston; 220 years later, renovators found a rare family sign in its attic, and the artifacts sold for $20,000

Renovators were working on a house in Canton, Massachusetts, when they discovered a collection of artifacts that were associated with Paul Revere's family in an attic wall in 2021. The objects included a black trade sign that bore the name of Revere's son, Joseph W. Revere, along with letters, tools and personal belongings that were connected to the family. The collection was sold as a single lot by an auction house for $20,000 on December 11, 2021, which far exceeded the auctioneer's expectations. John McInnis had expected a sale that fell below $8,000, while the auction website estimated that the collection would fetch between $1,000 and $2,000.A family trade sign attracted biddersA trade sign that was painted black with gold-leaf lettering was one of the most prominent objects in the collection, which carried the name Joseph W. Revere, Paul Revere's son, and was believed to be linked with a business that was operated by the Revere family in Canton. The other objects included wrought-iron calipers, a turned wooden handle, a key, a sewing valet that was made from silk and leather, letters and an account book that belonged to Revere's descendants and daughter-in-law.The company that handled the auction was McInnis, who said that the objects had a historical connection that increased their value, with the auction attracting online, telephone and in-person bidders, and an unidentified online bidder ultimately winning the lot. McInnis told The Boston Globe that early American trade signs typically sold for between $500 and $5,000, based on their condition and appearance. He said that the association with the Revere family made the collection a lot more desirable.Why the Canton property matteredPaul Revere purchased a property in Canton in 1801, according to the Associated Press, and later established the Revere Copper Company on the land. The house where renovators found the objects was believed to have belonged to the Revere family. The artifacts were discovered behind a wall in the attic during renovation work, and their location had kept them out of view, although the available reports do not establish when they were placed there.The collection's historical connection linked the objects to a documented family rather than leaving them as unidentified antiques, which was important to the auction, and the trade sign, in particular, carried a name that could be associated with Revere's descendants. The National Park Service identifies Revere as a master silversmith, engraver, industrialist and messenger during the American Revolution, who became widely known for his ride on the night of April 18, 1775, when he helped warn Patriot leaders of the approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. His work as an artisan and businessman continued after the Revolution.Revere’s later enterprises included a foundry and copper mill, with his industrial activities becoming an important part of his career, and the Canton property was connected to this phase of his life. The recovered collection belonged to a later period of the family's history, but its exact age and the circumstances that surrounded its storage were not established fully in the published accounts. The sign's association with Joseph W. Revere and the family documents helped auctioneers identify the lot's historical provenance.The winning bidder remained unidentified, and the reports did not specify where the artifacts would go after the sale. The auction concluded on December 11, 2021, almost two centuries after Revere purchased the Canton property. The objects had emerged during renovation work, and their family connections helped determine the price they ultimately fetched.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.