“Needless to say the museum is in complete awe and is very excited to receive this donation,” said museum volunteer Bob Nanney. 

Several of the rods are high-end instruments with values between $1,200 and $2,500 — the donation has a total value of roughly $50,000. The items will be used in museum exhibits, with about 20 rods offered for private sale. Those that aren’t sold will be used as reserves in the museum’s rod raffles to raise money for a future aquarium. 

The museum is located at 210 Main Street in Bryson City. Admission is free and it’s open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.