British pop star Phil Collins has handed over his vast collection of artifacts related to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution to the state of Texas.
Collins was in San Antonio on Tuesday to donate what's considered the world's largest private collection of Alamo artifacts. It includes a fringed leather pouch and a gun used by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie's legendary knife.
The 1980s pop artist and Genesis singer-drummer has joked that he spent all the money he'd made from music on artifacts related to the 1836 battle where 1,500 Mexican troops laid siege to 200 Texans.
"When I got older and became successful, I decided to spend my money on original items from the Alamo rather than on Ferraris," he joked to WOAI, the NBC affiliate in San Antonio.
The collection was given to Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, the state steward of the Alamo.
"God bless you, Phil Collins," Patterson said as he accepted the donation. A measure is set to be introduced in the Legislature when it meets in January to declare Collins to be an 'honorary Texan.'
He's pushing for a new Alamo historical center that would house Collins' collection.
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See a photo gallery of the donated items here.
