Numerous archivists fear the manuscript might be a clerical copy. During the 19th-century, documents and signatures were copied by clerks so an original manuscript could have duplicates.

"A lot of times, clerks would make more copies for themselves or others," said Val Wilson, patron service archivist with the Utah State Archives. Utah State Archives has one of the clerical copies of Young's will. "It takes a pretty expert eye to be able to discern."

Although archivists noted they have not seen the original, they said copies have turned up before.

"Brigham Young had a lot of heirs," said Jeff Johnson, reference librarian for the Latter-day Saint Church History Department. "As they were probating the will, several of them had copies." Although bidding is kept confidential, Alderfer Auction has received numerous calls from people who want more information about the manuscript or who want to set up appointments to see the manuscript.

"There's only one, and that's the greatest prize of it," Souder said.

Bidding begins at 1 p.m. EDT on June 8. The document is on ebayliveauctions.com, where absentee bids can be placed or bids can be done interactively on June 8. Absentee and interactive bidding can also be made through phone, by calling the company at 215-393-3000. At the company's location, live bids can also be made. For more information, visit alderferauction.com.

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com