THANK YOU!!!
A few weeks ago, Ida McKinley's diamond tiara (seen in the photo above) was sold on the History Channel's show Pawn Stars. We have seen it in person before, because we've borrowed it to display for special events. It is two diamond-crusted wings on a plain band. In the picture you can see one of the wings clearly at the base of the feather. The wings are removable to be worn as pins.
The day after I saw the show, I called the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas to see if we could acquire it. I was told it was not for sale. So I sent Rick Harrison a letter, letting him know if he ever changed his mind about selling it, we would be interested.
Well, last week he called me back! He said that he would be willing to sell it to us for what he paid for it. He wanted it on the show because he is the national spokesman for the Epilepsy Foundation, and since Ida suffered from epilepsy, he wanted to help raise awareness for the disease.
The catch is he paid $43,000 for it. We don't normally purchase artifacts, but this is such an important piece, we really, really want to be able to add it to our collection. Since it is not typical for us to buy artifacts, we needed to discuss the possibility of raising that kind of cash with the staff and board.
I got a green light so I called Rick back yesterday. He said he would put it aside, and he would give us three months to raise the money for it.
That's a much shorter timeline that I was expecting! But we feel like we can pull this off. There is a sense of urgency now that just might work in our favor.
WE JUST NEED YOUR HELP!
If you would like to contribute to our fund for Ida's tiara, please send a check to:
Ida McKinley Tiara Fund
McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
800 McKinley Monument Dr. NW
Canton OH 44708
If you would prefer to make a donation via credit card, please call 330-455-7043.
No donation is too small! With your help, we can put all of the donations together to get to our goal!
Check back for updates on how much we've raised and additional fundraising plans.
HELP US BRING THIS TIARA BACK TO CANTON!
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