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Bucks County Man To Display Original Copy Of Declaration Of Independence

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (CBS) -- Overlooking the same waters George Washington crossed in December 1776, Bucks County collector Tom Lingenfelter spent Friday evening reflecting on 240 years of America.

Lingenfelter isn't like any tourist just checking out history. He brought with him a piece of history. He's certain it's a rare original copy of the Declaration of Independence

"I think next to the bible it's probably the most sacred document in the world," Lingenfelter said of the Declaration of Independence.

Lingenfelter says he first found the copy at a flea market more than 20 years ago. He spent $100 dollars on the interesting looking piece, and then stored it away for more than a decade, not knowing what he had.

"One day I finally found some information about anastatic printing," he said. The small words "anastatic fac-simile" make Lingenfelter's document incredibly rare.

"You take an acid based solution but ink on paper and use a zinc plate press down on it," Lingenfelter said describing the anastatic process.

"We're all standing here because of this. The whole country exists because of this. The whole world for all we know exists because of this," Lingenfelter said of the Declaration of Independence.

After years of research, Lingenfelter is confident his is a direct copy of the original on display at the National Archives. He's getting ready for a July 4th exhibit at Washington's Crossing Historic Park and will proudly show the document to the public.

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