Mark Hofmann Anthon Transcript
In 1828, Joseph Smith Jr. copied characters onto paper, which he stated were from the golden plates he excavated from a hill in Manchester, NY. Martin Harris then carried the document to New York City. This actual document (which is no longer extant) was then shown to professor Charles Anthon of Columbia University. The statements later provided by Martin and Anthon disagree on how their interaction went, and Anthon described the characters being arranged in columns and ending in a sort of Aztec calendar. Mark Hofmann forged a document to resemble the item described by Charles Anthon. It was purchased by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $20,000 in 1980.
Learn More:
- Wikipedia – Anthon Transcript
- Joseph Smith Papers – Joseph Smith’s 1832 History
- FairMormon – If Gordon B. Hinckley was a prophet, why was he fooled by Mark Hofmann?
- Mormon Stories – Anthon Script
- Naked Mormonism – CC Mark Hofmann Part 1