You probably don’t normally associate the phrases “valuable art collection” and “RadioShack,” but the headquarters building that opened just ten years ago has some lovely artwork, valued at $500,000 but possibly worth more at auction. Standard General, the presumed winner of the auction for the RadioShack brand and many of its stores, plans to donate these artworks and the corporate archives to local corporate institutions.

For the benefit of future readers who may not remember RadioShack, it was a retailer that pushed extended warranty plans and sometimes sold mobile phones and electronics. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month after years of slow, terrible decline.

As historically important as the prototype of the TRS-80 might be, it will be interesting to see where these artifacts end up. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram found this information buried deep in the rules of the auction, but Standard General didn’t take the idea as far as identifying where each piece of its history would go. Corporate archives and papers are a valuable resource to researchers, and could end up in the hands of a local library, university, or museum. Check out the painting on display in the photo accompanying the Star-Telegram’s article, though: how many of the pieces depict RadioShack stores and products? Would that make them more or less valuable once the company ceases to exist?

Hedge fund pledges to donate RadioShack art to local institutions [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

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