Rare Deeds as Collectibles (What’s in Your Home’s Past?)

Is there anything unique and valuable about an old deed? Many deeds still exist that were recorded more than a century ago. Old deeds were made out of large pieces of hefty parchment paper. The old ones are works of art, with beautiful scripts and seals.

Oddly enough, an antique deed usually won’t be considered highly valuable—unless it corresponds to some famous home or person, or has an especially noteworthy property description.

But some antique deeds do have serious value.

Deeds Through the Generations

Deeds have had the same basic type of content for many generations. The essential recording process is much the same, too.

The local courthouse records the legal instrument, declaring the names of the grantor and the recipient of a parcel of land. The document also reveals the amount of money exchanged for the property (“consideration”), the transaction date, the county and state where the property is, and terms of the conveyance. There’s a legal description of the property. All this is part of centuries-old customs which we have adopted from English property law.

The enclosure of unclaimed land into the name of a certain owner and heirs began in medieval days. The National Archives in Britain holds deeds dating back to the Domesday Book – an 11^th-century survey of English property holders. Deeds are called “ancient” if they date back before 1600.

The official Land Registry didn’t open up to voluntary recordings until 1862. There was no national system of registration of ownership before the Land Registry, which in 1990 finally became the legal standard for recording deeds in Britain. And that is why, starting from the 1200s and continuing for hundreds of years, Brits who wanted land registered under their names would find a reason to go to court over something involving the land. Legal actions could involve fabricated disputes or fines. But at times, real disagreements between heirs or neighbors would lead to a case in court, thereby placing the property in the official records. Either way, English land holders would pay fees or open legal actions to get their deeds into the official registry. (Not everyone was so fancy, so historians dig up early survey maps to verify the locations and details of specific properties.)

England’s earliest land deeds involved signing ceremonies. The people involved came to the courts to take part. Signing a deed to a home or castle, field or farm, would have represented the weightiest legal agreement anyone would ever undertake in a lifetime—except for marriage!

They Just Don’t Make Them Like They Used To

Now that deeds are going digital, the people who study and sell antiquities are beginning to wonder if historical deeds are valuable collectibles. Already, some antique land deeds sell on Etsy for hundreds of dollars. A set of beautifully indentured, 19th-century land deeds appear for about $100 on eBay. (One of them is clear and crisp; the other has faded over time.)

A search for “antique land deed” on eBay also brings up a 1769 colonial deed in Massachusetts. The seller wants $300. There’s a similar deed, to land in Connecticut, with a wax seal, being sold by an antique dealer for $900. And so on. A few antique deeds go for more than $1K.

Some deeds will be valued well into the five figures by rare book sellers. Consider a deed to Mohawk land in New York, signed by members of the tribe with totem signatures. The date? 1694. This example fetched $18K at an auction. Not only is a deed such as this valuable for research into Native history; it also shines a light on how the settlers formed towns and family lines.

Antique deeds continue to be inexpensive, given all the work it took to create them. There would be no way to produce reproductions of centuries-old deeds at the price for which an original can be purchased.

Preservation of deeds is a trend at deed recorders’ offices around the country. Learn more on Deeds.com.

Doing Historical Research on Property in a Particular Place?

Researching a property from the 1900s on through today is relatively straightforward. This is the era when deed holders need permits for any substantial upgrades and modifications.

Your township may have a historian who can guide you through the history of your deed. The historian will begin with a copy of your current real estate deed. Then begins the journey back through time. This means looking into the archives held at earlier offices, dating back before the incorporation of your town. Ultimately, the historian will be able to trace your home back to colonial settlers, if your home happens to be that old.

Why work backwards? Because even if you know the year a home was built, looking it up in local records for that year might not work. Street names and addresses change over time.

For robust research, look to the preservation office in your state. Here is a list of state historic preservation offices to get you started. A state historic preservation officer connects people with the best state and local archives and preservation groups.

Several resources exist to support you in your quest:

• You can find a copy of your deed right here at Deeds.com.

• You can also search an area using the web atlas created by the National Register of Historic Places.

• And use the library! Here’s a starting point, for example, from the Free Library of Philadelphia. ​The Library of Congress can also help you out. Its city directories can help you find out more about your or another home and its previous owners. City directories pre-date telephone books. They date back to the early 1830s.

• Don’t underestimate the value of old newspapers. They are indexed back through the years, and searching for the keyword buildings may lead you to the original construction of your home.  

Your nearby historical society is also a treasure trove of information. Look there for historical news sources and records of local history—surveys and maps as well. Sanborn maps came into use after the civil war. Insurers ordered them to assess the  construction and layout of homes. These maps offer a wealth of information on many of the homes built in the 1800s and 1900s. Historical societies have kept these maps on file.

And your nearest historical society can inform you about all kinds of things about people who once lived in a particular home. Enjoy your time travels!