Byron Reed Collection facts for kids

The Byron Reed Collection is a special group of rare books, old papers, famous signatures, and coins. It's kept at the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Experts say Byron Reed was one of the best collectors of the 1800s. He started collecting in the 1870s and continued until he passed away in 1891.

About the Collection

In the late 1800s, Byron Reed, a real estate agent from Omaha, slowly built an amazing collection. It included coins, important documents, books, maps, and other items with great historical value. When he died in 1891, Reed gave his collection to the city of Omaha. Now, it is proudly displayed at The Durham Museum.

Many parts of Reed's collection are on show. A very special part is the "Treasures Cabinet." This cabinet holds Reed's famous 1804 Dollar coin. Byron Reed was known as a very hard-working collector. His coin collection is still thought to be one of the most complete in the United States. It has many ancient Jewish and Roman coins. It also has an almost perfect set of U.S. coins from colonial times up to the 1890s. In 1999, the Reed 1804 Dollar was even called the "King of American Coins."

Collection Highlights

Byron Reed's own library has many important papers about how Omaha was founded. It also includes religious books from the Middle Ages. His collection is believed to have one of the biggest coin-related libraries in the Midwestern United States. Many experts think his library is probably the last one from the 1800s that is still complete today.

Where to See the Collection

After Byron Reed passed away, he left his collection to the City of Omaha and the Omaha Public Library. Today, the Byron Reed Collection is cared for and shown at the Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha.

A historian named Larry Wilson shared his thoughts about the exhibit. He said that visiting the exhibit feels like stepping back in time. Visitors walk through a copy of Byron Reed's original library. The coins are shown in beautiful wooden cases. This makes you feel like you are part of the exhibit. It's like you are sitting with Byron Reed in the 1880s, looking at his coins. The exhibit also shares lots of history about Byron Reed and his time. Visitors are often very impressed by the quality of the display and the amazing coins.

Value of the Collection

Recently, the Byron Reed Collection was valued at over $7.8 million. This huge collection includes many different types of items. For example, there are 1,163 coins from the United States. These coins alone are worth about $6.4 million. There are also 693 coins from around the world, valued at $95,000.

The collection also has 1,400 pieces of exonumia, which are items like tokens or medals, worth $322,000. There are 673 pieces of paper money valued at $54,000. Finally, the 2,850 books and documents in the collection are worth $975,000.

In 1996, the Omaha City Council decided to sell some parts of the Byron Reed Collection. The sale happened at Christie's in New York City on October 8 and 9, 1996. All 562 items offered for sale were bought. The total amount raised from this sale was $6.1 million.