Donating an artifact to the Museum!
First, thank you for considering us as your artifact's future home. Donating an object seems pretty simple, but it involves a lot of effort to the Museum. Once the Museum accepts an object, it is responsible in perpetuity for the storage, upkeep, conservation, management, and documentation of the donated object – that requires scarce Museum resources. For that reason, the Museum follows a strict process for considering new objects to add to our collection.
Do not show up at the Museum with your artifacts without an appointment. The Museum does not accept or view artifacts without an appointment.
- Contact the Museum using the form below. Please provide the requested information for each artifact that you wish to donate. Museum Staff will use this information to determine next steps and contact you.
- Make an appointment with the Museum to meet a staff member and discuss the artifact(s) and their disposition. This meeting may be in-person, by telephone, or by email.
- At the meeting, the staff member will explain the process and answer any questions. The Museum may:
- Refuse the donation if the artifact(s) does not advance the Mission of the Museum,
- Assist you if placing the artifact(s) in another museum or similar organization where it is more appropriate.
- Accept the artifact(s)
- The Curatorial Team will investigate and evaluate the artifact(s) and prepare a report for the Executive Team. Final decision will be the purview of the Executive Team.
- If required (and the amount is over $50.00 CDN), a valuation will be made for purposes of a tax receipt. In certain circumstances, the potential donor may wish to have a third-party valuation done. In such a case, the potential donor is responsible for paying for the valuation.
- Depending on the decision as to accepting the artifacts:
- If the decision is made to accept the artifact(s), the donation form and the tax receipt (if desired) will be forwarded to the donor.
- If the Museum is not going to accept the donation, final disposition of the artifact(s) will be discussed with the donor. Any costs incurred with the disposition (shipping and handling) will be paid by the donor.
The Museum seeks to improve its collection by adding Artifacts of interest to :
- Artifacts used by the Ontario Regiment, the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, or Canadian Army
Artifacts used by our Wartime, Cold War, Peacekeeping, and Coalition Allies. - Artifacts that have Historical or Technical Significance.
- Engines, parts, tools, or similar that may be used to restore or maintain vehicles in the collection.
- Items that enhance the ability to educate the public with regard to the Museum’s stated mission.
The Museum will not acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any artifact or item that does not have a valid ownership and title.
The Museum will abide by the provisions of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The Museum will reject any items that have been illicitly or illegally traded.
The Museum will not knowingly acquire items or artefacts that have been stolen from or illegally salvaged/exported from battlefield, archaeological, or historic sites.
The Museum will not acquire any biological or geological items. The Museum will not acquire any items that are considered “Culturally Sensitive” unless it is a repository of last resort or can provide secure preservation or restoration that is needed for the conservation of the item. The Museum will not acquire or exhibit human remains. The Museum will not acquire items that include radioactive sources unless the source is of such low activity to provide negligible risk (glow in the dark watch) or when removal of the radioactive elements would result in loss of value so as to make the item meaningless historically.
The Museum will not collect for the sake of collecting. Acquisition of new items must be balanced against the cost of storing and preserving the item. When appropriate, the Museum will assist the donor to find a more relevant repository. Specific reference is to the regimental museums, other CF Museums, local community museums, and the Canadian War Museum. On rare occasions, international institutions may be considered.
The Museum will issue tax receipts if requested, if the value is greater than $50.00 CDN.
If you feel that the artifact has a value greater than $1,000.00, you may want to consider obtaining a third-party valuation prior to talking with the Museum. The Museum does not do appraisals of artifacts.