Donating your finds

[Pepper06]

I was curious if anybody donates their finds. I am thinking about donating some of my finds to our local county museum. A lot of this stuff has no face value and it doesn't have any family history so I'm not emotionally attached to it. I find the best thing about detecting is the moment that you unearth an old relic and can share it with others. I'm sure that after I'm gone from this world, my son may consider most of this stuff junk and pitch it. I'm just kind of thinking out loud and curious if what others do with their finds.

 

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[wingmaster]

I've donated some of my relic finds to the local township historical society, I'm mostly interested in the coins and they would have just set in a box that I probably wouldn't open till the next time I put something in it. What county are you in? HH

 

[Kurios1]

Great question. I am a notorious "hoarder" and have saved nearly every historic coin, jewelry, and relic I have found. I am thinking as yourself what will become of all this stuff I am dragging home? I believe much of it is quite unique and would make for an interesting display in a local museum. It would also get you some publicity and perhaps a few permissions from the locals. I need to sort through my stuff and consider what I could part with to make a nice display for my local museums. Thanks for the thread.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I donate a lot to local school history departments and historical societies. If you purchase a few Riker or other cases, label the artifacts and nicely arrange them schools/societies seem to like the donation.

 

[coinman123]

Donate the stuff you don't think that you will miss, and put the stuff you think you might miss on loan in case you want them back in the future.

 

[Pepper06]

Thanks for the input, I wasn't thinking about having several options that you people pointed out.

 

[coinman123]

It is very simple to donate and put stuff on loan, and museums and schools are normally very excited. I have many of my finds on loan, including my 1700's sundial. I may donate my WWI dog tags, currently on loan, when I move. They belonged to a soldier who was local to the town, and are in a WWI and WWII artifact exhibit right now.

 

[FFFPatriot]

I'm willing to donate all of my finds,.... But for a price!

 

[CASPER-2]

I have a display on loan at Cape Cod Maritime museum - waiting for 2 other museums being built to put more stuff on loan -one is a rev war one the other a WW I one - I have given musketballs and flatbuttons to a few historical societies too
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/members/29748-albums4493-picture1285870.html

 

[CASPER-2]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/members/29748-albums4493-picture1285871.html

 

[Tom_in_CA]

As a museum docent worker at two local museums, let me chime in here. I would NOT donate items to museums, unless you REALLY had something ground-breaking and historic. Ie.: spanish armor, or the gun Custer himself used, blah blah blah.

Because even though the museums accept a lot or all donations (so as not to be "rude" or "ungrateful"), yet most often they will never see the light of day again. Because I can tell you for a fact (as a museum worker) that they get SO much donations, that they simply can NOT display all of it. And once they've got a carefully designed museum layout, they are not going to perpetually go in and re-arrange things , cabinets, etc.... Museum strength , personell, budget, etc... simply don't allow. And if the museum was ALREADY laid out to show a story and theme, there has to be good reason to change things .

We have well-meaning sincere people come in donating odd-ball things frequently. And ... to be polite ... none is turned down. Stuff like "great grandma's sewing machine that she sewed on patches for WWI soldiers", blah blah. Or "an arrow head I bought at the flea market", blah blah

So some md'rs, to try to make sure they're not a victim of the "basement storage" phenomena, might try to make a stipulation of "Must be displayed" . Or "On loan only", etc... This too , in year's past, turned out to be nothing but a headache for museums. So they now do not agree to such terms. Now the items , if accepted for donation, must be donated with no strings. They become the property of the city. Why ? Well for example:

Someone 20 yrs. from now comes waltzing into a museum "demanding something back". They want the sealed cabinets opened up and their item back now. Or horror stories of the museum can't find something they claim was "loaned" 20 yrs. ago , so now lawyers get involved. Or someone comes waltzing in saying "my cousin or sister had no right to donate that family heirloom, so give it back", etc...

Or the stipulation that "must be displayed" seems innocent enough, eh ? Yet think of it: This is NOTHING MORE than the public's ability to "control what the museum can display".

Thus no, I would not donate something unless it's so stupendous that there can be no-other-reaction than the rush of the curators to have the urgency of "must-display" notion.

 

[jeff of pa]

I've donated Finds to Local Hysterical Societies years ago.
I never got back to see if they are still on display.

I've also Donated a Large amount of Finds to A Catholic Church,
which Put them on an Outdoor Display once.
I was promised Pictures, Which I never Got.
(I didn't have a Camera Then)

After that a friend Told me when he contacted the Church, They told him
they have no idea where they are or that they were never given any,
been awhile, so I don't remember the exact phrasing.

Lets just say ... They are on my Crap list now

 

[AlienLifeForm]

Nope. If I get anything groundbreaking I will share photos with all of the internet - that is my donation to the people.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... After that a friend Told me when he contacted the Church, They told him
they have no idea where they are or that they were never given any,...

How much time are we talking about elapsing ? Did your "friend" talk to the same people/person you donated it to ?

If someone waltzed into the museums I work/docent at, inquiring "where is such & such" that "so & so donated" years earlier, .... I too might shrug my shoulders and not have a "snappy" answer for you. So let me guess, I would be on your "crap list", right ?

Read what I wrote above Jeff.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....Lets just say ... They are on my Crap list now

And this is EXACTLY why museums are increasingly not accepting donations nowadays (how "rude", eh?) And this is EXACTLY why stipulations are not allowed any longer on donations (how rude, eh ?). Heaven forbid that someone should be riled, eh ? Heaven forbid the instant recall and display and answer shouldn't be immediately forthcoming, eh ?

 

[jeff of pa]

this was to a Catholic Church Tom. Not a Museum.
They should have been able To say Yes, But they are Stored away, Or yes they are in the Display case in the Hall Or
Yes, we threw all that stuff out after we showed them off for Donations of Money.

This was a small town Church.

Not Popeville Or the Sistine Chapel

and it was 3 large Tables of Coins & Relics they at least pretended to be proud of

 

[Tom_in_CA]

this was to a Catholic Church Tom. Not a Museum....
Not Popeville Or the Sistine Chapel

There is a historic church near me that has ... on the side ... a "museum". Open to the public. Staffed by volunteers. But everything (psychologically and "real world") would apply there too.

... They should have been able To say Yes, But they are Stored away, Or yes they are in the Display case in the Hall Or...

Well sure. AND SO TOO could the same be said of : If someone came waltzing in to ask Tom_in_CA who "staffs such & such museum" to answer to a prior donation, right ? Heaven forbid he didn't have a snappy answer, eh ?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'm just saying, put yourself in their shoes folks. EVERYBODY will "get offended" (like Jeff) when there's not display. Or not answers, etc.... And they get lots of donations by sincere folks (like Jeff) . And each one is considered "of primary importance" by the person donating (lest ..... why else would you be donating ??) . And then the museum personell (who ... gasp ... changes with shifts) is left with some sort of mandate to provide "snappy answers" and "how dare they" insinuations with each museum visitor.

 

[jeff of pa]

I'm just saying, put yourself in their shoes folks. EVERYBODY will "get offended" (like Jeff) when there's not display. Or not answers, etc.... And they get lots of donations by sincere folks (like Jeff) . And each one is considered "of primary importance" by the person donating (lest ..... why else would you be donating ??) . And then the museum personell (who ... gasp ... changes with shifts) is left with some sort of mandate to provide "snappy answers" and "how dare they" insinuations with each museum visitor.

again. Not a museum & not necessarily an In church Display. & I really didn't care
if they stacked them in a corner of the Basement or Threw them out or Sold them.
They were "Donated" what bothered me was that the People I did the search for,
Denied any Knowledge of getting the finds or where they would Be.

And it was actually Twice within one year they put them out on Tables. Invite the Public to come by and see the Progress. and donate money of course.

 

[alabama11]

Posting photos to treasurenet is the most humane thing to do as is will be there and if the county is identified it has some provenience.
Many museums become over loaded with relics and as time goes on they are forced to sell them to maintain operational costs and free up space in the basement. Curation at a state facility also can have costs so they in many cases accept no relics free of a curation fee which is a yearly amount.

What i had hoped to do is donate some finds to a local library or two where they could have a display case for students to gain insight an appreciation for history.