Private Black History Archive in Jeopardy

Nathaniel Montague, 84, spent 50 years building the million-dollar collection.
By Naeesa Aziz
Posted: 05/10/2012 11:09 AM EDT
Filed Under bankruptcy, Black History Month, American History, Nathaniel Montague, National News

An impressive collection of African-American historical artifacts that became the lifetime obsession of an elderly African-American man may soon be sold to the highest bidder if a millionaire buyer doesn’t step forward soon to buy the entire collection. Some of the priceless items include "rare and one-of-a-kind fragments of America's past. Slave documents. Photographs. Signatures. Recordings." CNN reports:


“[Nathaniel] Montague — Magnificent Montague, as he's been known since his days as a pioneering radio DJ — amassed an 8,000-piece collection reflecting names from the well-known to the forgotten to those history never thought to remember. It's valued in the millions; some call it priceless. One assessment of just five of the pieces puts the total value of those treasures alone somewhere between $592,000 and $940,000.

"I have not been able to maintain the collection for the last couple of years," Montague said. While working with his wife of 56 years, Rose Casalan, to archive and prepare the collection for sale, he took out a loan to help pay for the archiving, found himself overextended financially and declared bankruptcy. His collection was seized, and it is now in the hands of a trusteeship charged with selling it to satisfy his debts, including a judgment for $325,000 plus interest and court fees.

If no one steps up to buy the collection in its entirety, Montague's life's work could be dismantled and sold off in pieces to pay his creditors.”


Read the full story here.


BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

Videos You May Like

(Photo: Courtesy CNN)

Comments

Trends
Lauryn Hill •Fashion and Beauty •Geography of Hate •Twitter •Monica Stephens •National News •LGBT •Wade Davis •Kyla Pratt •Lets Stay Together •Celebrity Videos •Three 6 Mafia •Music News •Celebrity News •Gangsta Boo •Juicy J •Lil Wayne •Wiz Khalifa •2 Chainz •A$AP Ferg •Sports News •Cleveland Browns •Justice B. Hill •Dwight Eisenhower •George Wallace •Brown v. Board of Education •John F. Kennedy •Solange •Kendrick Lamar •Solange Knowles •

Money Monday: 6 Summer Vacation Money Tips

Strategies for finding savings on your summer trips. 05/20/2013

Racial Tolerance Around the World

See how hospitable these nations are to newcomers. 05/17/2013

10 Calorie-Cutting Tips to Try

Healthy eating tips to help you slim down for summer. 05/17/2013

Out and About: Beyoncé Takes Mrs. Carter Tour to Milan

Plus pics of Kanye, Drake, Rihanna, Prince and more. 05/20/2013

All Together Now: Overdue Collaborations

Artists that have should've linked up, like, yesterday. 05/20/2013

La Isla Bonita: Stars With Cuban Roots

We celebrate Cuba Libre with these Latin celebs. 05/20/2013

SEARCH

© 2013 BET Interactive, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Black Entertainment Television LLC. All rights reserved.