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Three Newspapers Chronicling The Boston Tea Party Up For Auction In NY

BOSTON (CBS) -Three newspapers chronicling the Boston Tea Party are up for auction and bidding ends Tuesday night.

The newspapers detailing the days leading up to the Boston Tea Party dated Dec. 6, 1773 and its aftermath on Dec. 24, 1773 and May 16, 1774 will be auctioned off at Cohasco Inc. Auction House in Yonkers, N.Y. at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The are expected to go for between $19,000 and $23,000 each.

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This newspaper dated Dec. 24, 1773, detailed the Boston Tea Party. (Photo credit: Cohasco Inc. Auctions/Website)

"This was arguably the most important event in early American history," Bob Snyder from Cohasco said. "One writer said in the 20th century that the small group of American patriots dressed as Indians lived the views of the revolution and changed the course of history."

Snyder said the most important newspaper was one printed on Christmas Eve 1773 which was printed by the then future printer of the Declaration of Independence.

"It recounts how a group of patriots got tired waiting around the Old Meeting House and proceeded to the wharf and threw tea overboard," Snyder said.

Snyder said despite the old English writing style, readers today can sense the drama of the event.

"There were just 40 newspapers in North American at the time,' Snyder said explaining how a newspaper dated Dec. 24, was the first to chronicle the events of Dec. 16. "News traveled very slow."

There is only one other copy of the Christmas Eve edition in the world, Snyder said.

The papers were given to the auction house to auction off by a New York-based collector who was a student of American history and a collector of old documents and newspapers, Snyder said.

"The sheer rarity of the items alone, makes it a pleasure to handle," Snyder said.

The auction via telephone and mail will end Tuesday at 8 p.m. Bids have been accepted for five weeks.

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