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Citadel CEO Ken Griffin outbids crypto investor group for U.S. Constitution copy

Kenneth Griffin plans to lend the copy of the Constitution to an Arkansas museum.

Donovan Erskine

November 19, 2021 2:55 PM

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Despite what your stance on it may be, the world of cryptocurrency has proven to be quite powerful and influential. One group of cryptocurrency investors had pooled together funds from more than 17,000 in an attempt to buy the last first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, the group was outbid by none other than Citadel CEO Ken Griffin.

Kenneth Griffin scored the first-edition copy of the United States constitution for a total of $42.3 million USD according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Griffin outbid ConstitutionDAO, a group of over 17,000 investors that had crowdfunded $40 million in an attempt to purchase the historical document. A blow to members of the group that were hoping to secure the last final edition of the Constitution, Griffin says that he plans to lend it to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas.

“The U.S. Constitution is a sacred document that enshrines the rights of every American and all those who aspire to be,” Kenneth Griffin said in a statement. “That is why I intend to ensure that this copy of our Constitution will be available for all Americans and visitors to view and appreciate.”

Ken Griffin has become somewhat of a rival to the cryptocurrency world in recent times. Back in September, #KenGriffinLied trended on Twitter following an outpouring of frustration and anger after email conversations between Griffin and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev surfaced, despite Griffin saying there was no collusion between Citadel and Robinhood during the House hearing. He’s widely regarded as the arch-nemesis of r/WallStreetBets and also compared meme stock investors to moon landing conspiracy theorists. It’s clear to see why many view Griffin's move to outbid a group of crypto investors was at least partially done out of spite.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_