When retired professor Carl Andry picked up an etching at an art sale 20 years ago he thought the $9 sticker price was a little steep.

But Andry's investment was "Exits and Entrances Noyers" by William Russell Flint, one of only two of the etchings in existence. In 1934 the artist gave one to a British museum and kept the other, which Andry acquired years later for just $9.

That bargain-basement beauty--recently appraised for thousands of dollars--now resides in Ball State University's Museum of Art, part of a major gift from Andry of seven etchings and lithographs on paper from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The total gift is valued at just under $40,000.

A retired professor of philosophy and director of religious programs, Andry started his collection early in his 28-year career at Ball State by casually dropping a few dollars at a time at small art sales and fairs.

"I just started buying up a few pieces," he said. "I'd hold them for eight or 10 years, and they skyrocketed in value. I didn't know, but they were extremely valuable. It was just my hobby. If I wanted to relax, I'd go out and look for a few pieces."

Many donors like Andry are discovering the satisfaction in giving more of themselves than just checks. Some have found that giving artistic and functional objects is a way to share part of their lives and interests with future generations without breaking the bank.

Howard and Sylvia Searight shared their interest in ancient  cultures with their community by giving 19 pieces of Pre-Columbian art to Ball State's museum.

Acquired over a number of years, the Searights' collection is a mixture of pieces from many different countries and a range of time periods before the arrival of Columbus in the Americas. The entire gift is valued at nearly $100,000.

"I was really interested in the cultures of these areas, particularly the Mayan culture," said Howard Searight, a retired physician and adjunct professor in the university's speech pathology and audiology department.

"We made yearly trips to Central America and South America," Searight said. "Some of the pieces were given to me in the countries I visited. Some I bought in those countries, and some I bought here."

Both Andry's and the Searights' gifts have added new dimension to Ball State's collection, said Alain Joyaux, director of the museum.

"We try to have a very comprehensive collection of works on paper, to show people evolution of ideas over time," Joyaux said.

"Andry added depth in areas we didn't have pieces." In contrast, he said, the Searights collected major pieces in an area in which the museum had little representation at all. "You can't get comprehensive with this area," Joyaux said.

"There are too many cultures. And you want excellent examples if you can't be comprehensive. That's what the Searights collected, a nucleus of really first-rate works."

The Searight collection is on permanent display in the museum. Andry's gift of more delicate paper works is available for educational viewing, but can only be out in the daylight for limited periods.

The donors both considered giving their collections to other galleries or museums before deciding on the university's collection.

The idea of giving educational worth to their pieces was a persuasive argument to send them to Ball State, Howard Searight admitted.

"I hope it will be a useful teaching facility for the students," he said. "It hadn't occurred to me that the pieces had limited value sitting in my house. It had more value out there where someone could see it."

Andry, who lost his eyesight in recent years, agreed. "I'd like to put them in a place where they'd be seen by many people over many years. And that's how they got to Ball State."