This group is described as "Highspots'' by the collector, and as the term implies, it contains an assortment of unusual, rare and valuable material.

There are a number of pieces relating to the California gold rush. One entitled "The California Pioneers," dated 1852, was the first piece of music published in California. "The Captive's Lament" of 1814, is an early Abolition item. The cover of "John Ross", 1866, shows the Chief of the Cherokees and there is a poem in the Cherokee language on the next to last page. Several items pertain to the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in the 1860s. Among them are "The American Petroleum Polka" and "Petroleum Court Dance".

Music relating to medicine is scarce and therefore "The Blue Glass Schottisch" of 1877 is interesting. There is a description of the benefits of light shining through blue glass for various rheumatic ailments.

Most of the music in this group has lithographed covers, and there are a number of views of New York, Chicago and other cities. A unique item is "The Santa Claus Quadrilles" with the cover by Spoodlyks, a mysterious artist whose identity has never been established. Several pieces have covers of Paganini, the most famous violinist of his time.

The well-known artist D.C. Johnston illustrated the cover of "The Log House", published in 1826. This was the first piece of American lithographed sheet music. Another item with the cover lithographed by Johnston was "The Corner-Stone March" of 1832, an anti-Masonic piece.

An instrumental work about the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia was published in 1861, with a photograph of the theatre on the title page. This was probably the earliest instance of a title page with photographic illustration. "The Atlantic Telegraph Polka" of 1858 dedicated to Cyrus W. Field commemorates the first attempt to lay the Atlantic cable. "The Blondin March" honors the first man to cross Niagara Falls on a wire. One undated piece is called "The Chaplet" a waltz by "Flora". Rose blossoms are the notes, while bees indicate the sharps.

There are a good many English pieces with handsome covers, most noteworthy of which are those by G. Baxter, the inventor and patentee of oil color printing.