The Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection

The Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection is a collection of various artifacts and collectibles from American history, some of notable historical significance. The collection is housed in a museum located in the home of Raleigh DeGeer Amyx, the result of his lifelong interest in collecting, especially American presidential memorabilia and White House china. Some items from his personal collection have been loaned to various presidential libraries, such as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. The collection memorializes American history and is intended to encourage remembrance and appreciation of historical events and people.
History
Raleigh DeGeer Amyx began collecting things as a hobby in early life, taking collecting more and more seriously as time went on. In 1985, Walt Harrington of the Washington Post published an article about the collection, which brought to Amyx's attention the signficance of the collection and its potential value to the American people. from the James Madison presidency was ordered in 1806 and put into service in 1814. Both specimens were originally white in the center; the calligraphy was added to one of them sometime during the 19th century. The manufacturer was Manufacture de Nast in Paris. Only 29 pieces of the original order remain in existence from the 231 first commissioned. Four of these are in the Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection; two of the four are lozenge-shaped serving dishes.
John F. Kennedy's eyeglasses
Acquired by Amyx from Floyd Boring in 1983, these reading glasses belonged to John F. Kennedy during his presidency. Boring happened to have them in his safekeeping just three days before the John F. Kennedy assassination.
Original oil painting by Dwight D Eisenhower
Sargent John A. Moaney and his wife Delores were given this painting by Dwight D Eisenhower. Moaney was Eisenhower's valet during his presidency, and became and remained a trusted friend up to Eisenhower's death in 1969. The painting depicts the cottage where the general lived during World War II. Amyx acquired the painting from the Moaney's early in the 1980s.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's walking cane
As a way of compensating for his paralysis, Franklin D. Roosevelt learned to walk by moving his torso along with an ivory-handled cane. At some point he cracked the ivory handle off, after which he gave it to his valet, Arthur Prettyman. Arthur and Mildred Prettyman presented the cane to Amyx sometime in the eighties.
Dwight D Eisenhower's yellow gold Rolex Datejust
To appreciate and commemorate his achievement as general and president of the United States during World War II, Rolex offered Dwight D. Eisenhower their 150,000th yellow gold Rolex Datejust with a then-unique red-number date wheel. The watch is significant in that its recipient helped Rolex define an advertising image for years to come, and paved the way for the creation of the Rolex President watch. Amyx acquired the watch from .
Other notable items
* Land survey written and conducted by George Washington at age 17
* Gold medal awarded to an olympian at the first Olympiad in Athens, Greece in 1896

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