A university as old as Princeton has received many bequests, but perhaps none quite as magnificent as a recent bequest that is the largest Princeton has ever received. The university recently revealed the contents of the $300 million bequest. Some amazing treasures are included.
William Scheide inherited a startling collection that his grandfather had started. The collection has been maintained at Princeton University since 1959. When Scheide passed away a few months ago, he left the entire collection to the university.
It is worth approximately $300 million.
Recently, Princeton released to the public the contents of the collection, as reported by The Telegraph in “Emily Dickinson’s chocolate pudding recipe and nine other highlights from Princeton’s $300m book haul.”
Other highlights from the Scheide collection include:
- A copy of the original Gutenberg Bible
- One of Beethoven’s musical sketchbooks
- Three original Shakespeare folios
- Handwritten sheet music from Bach, Mozart, Wagner and others
- An autographed speech by President Lincoln
- General Grant’s copybooks from the last weeks of the Civil War
- A copy of the Koran from 1700
Even if you do not have an amazing collection to leave to your favorite charity, consult an experienced estate planning attorney for ideas on how to leverage what you do have for good.
Reference: The Telegraph (February 18, 2015) “Emily Dickinson’s chocolate pudding recipe and nine other highlights from Princeton’s $300m book haul.”
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