In my last conversations with Michael in the months before we lost him, as some of you might recall, he was facing some serious circumstances legally with state authorities. His financial situation was quite threatened due to his terrible health issues, and seizure of his collection holdings were looming.
I think there may have been a number of items selected to be released for sale in order to protect the rest of his remarkably important core of arms which represented his lifelong work. I do believe he sought to secure safety for those holdings. I am relieved to hear that they have apparently found safety from being dispersed widely as together they represent the life's work of one of the most profound scholars on medieval and renaissance firearms and ordnance. We were most fortunate to have had him here, where he remains a legacy in our pages.
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