Phil Collins donates his private collection of Alamo artifacts

 

Phil Collins donates his private collection of Alamo artifacts 

According to Reuters, the pop-rock-prog legend has donated a significant chunk of his famed Alamo artifact collection to a new museum planned for the historic tourist attraction in San Antonio, Texas. The $100 million "Phil Collins Alamo Collection" will house a number of rare items – including a rifle (one of four remaining in existence) owned by soldier-frontiersman Davy Crockett, a fringed leather pouch carried by Crockett and an original Bowie knife which Jim Bowie had in his possession during the 1836 battle between Texas settlers and the Mexican Army. "When I got older and became successful, I decided to spend my money on original items from the Alamo rather than on Ferraris," Collins joked during a news conference hosted across the street from the Alamo, in front of a temporary storage building for the items. "This completes the journey for me. . . These artifacts are coming home." Collins' collection is believed to be the largest of its kind, with over 200 total items.  

This illustrates the good that private collectors do when they preserve and display historical items in their homes. 

The former Genesis frontman isn't donating his entire collection – he plans to keep a number of items at his Switzerland home, partly because his nine-year-old son has also become interested in the Alamo. At the earlier press conference, he emphasized his plans to continue collecting, adding, "Once I've lived with whatever I buy for a month, I'll ship it over here." Collins' Alamo fascination runs so deep, he even authored the 2012 book The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey.  [....] I've bought pretty much every book ever written about the Alamo, and I talk to my friends that I've made over the past 15, 20 years. It's just a constant learning and fascinating thing for me."

Read more: Rolling Stone