New York: Arguably the most important document ever to be auctioned goes on sale tomorrow when the Magna Carta, an 800-year-old English royal manuscript, goes under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York.

The royal charter, dated 1297 and bearing the wax seal of King Edward I, enshrined the rights of man into English law and is considered the precursor of such landmark historical documents as the US Declaration of Independence. Sotheby's Vice Chairman David Redden described the vellum manuscript, which is expected to fetch $20 to $30 million, as quite simply "the most important document in the world".

"It's the great-great-great-grandfather of some of the great documents -- at least in America -- of freedom, such as the declaration of independence, the constitution or the bill of rights," he told AFP ahead of the auction. "All of these have a common ancestor, which is Magna Carta." The manuscript is the only one of 17 remaining examples ever likely to be sold.

Most of the rest belong to Britain's national archives, cathedrals or universities while the only other copy outside Britain belongs to Australia. The manuscript, most likely made of sheepskin, enshrined the rule of law in England at a time of disagreements between King John and the English barons. It was first issued in 1215 and confirmed as English law in 1297.

Redden described the document, which required the king to accept that he was bound by law in the same way as his subjects, as "the first rung on the ladder to freedom" and "a talisman of liberty."

Source : PTI