BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP): The Monroe County History Center plans to auction an extensive collection of recently donated hats to help fund its operations this fall.



Helen DeSawal has been collecting the items for 35 years and says some date from the 1940s. She decided to donate part of her collection to the center because she says it's time to stop collecting.



The Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/1r5XGqp) reports that center volunteers decided to display the hats and then auction them instead of placing them in the center's yard sale because of the collection's value.



Volunteer Sue Bowman says one of the hats could be worth up to $1,800.