SAN ANTONIO — Visitors at the Alamo are getting a chance to see some unique artifacts.
A free preview of the Phil Collins collection was put on display inside the exhibit hall on the Alamo grounds, but some say pieces of the collection may not be real after all.
Some visitors are embracing the debate.
"Come see something special, something you can see in a book, but makes a difference seeing it in person," Ernesto Rodriguez, senior curator and historian of the Alamo says as visitors walk into the Alamo Exhibit hall.
On the hallowed grounds in glass cases is where just some of the 400 items from musician Phil Collins' collection were shown to the public.
"I enjoyed this collection, and what I wanted to do is allow a bigger audience to see it and learn from it. And so when he donated it to the Alamo, that was the idea. He donated it to the people of Texas,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says they are grateful for the rock star's donation. But in recent months, authors have called into question whether some of the artifacts are authentic.
The Alamo Trust sent a statement to KENS 5, saying:
We are extremely grateful for Mr. Collins’ incredible generosity in donating his vast collection of artifacts related to the Texas Revolution to the State of Texas so that more people could experience it first-hand. The Phil Collins Texana Collection is unparalleled in its breadth and depth and will allow us to tell a much richer story about the Alamo and broader fight for Texas independence. The majority of the 400-plus items in the Phil Collins Collection are of unquestionable authenticity. A small number of items require additional research, and we are fully transparent about our findings, as we are with all of the research we conduct on objects in our collections.
Some visitors like Hector Luciano, Jr. of Fort Worth aren't concerned about the issue.
"I think it's a healthy debate. It pushes people to search more and research more. It gives you a little more, like -- hey, if you don’t believe it’s authentic go out and find out -- and it just adds to the myth of the story. The debate creates competition,” Luciano Jr. said.
Others like Andrea Mills, who has lived in San Antonio previously, is raising her eyebrows.
"That shocks me. I would be concerned whether or not the items are authentic or not. I would hope they would be,” Mills said.
Once the Alamo's new exhibit building is finished, a larger quantity of items will be on display. Currently, the Alamo says it can only display 1% of the artifacts in their possession.
The Phil Collins Collection Preview: Texian Edition will be on display from August 18 through October 3.
The new Exhibition Hall is scheduled to open in 2022.