Selling Personal Collections

[Ed Storey]

As I stated earlier, if a person wants to donate to a museum, then that is their prerogative. Although I have to ask, why?

Is a person really helping a museum by donated material to the institution? A museum should, in my opinion, have a collection policy that not only takes into consideration current historical events, but looks towards the future. If a museum is deficient in a piece of historical equipment then that item should be identified as being key to the collection and an effort made to obtain it by the museum. Having collectors donate items to a museum that they think the museum needs not only influences the collection process; but also reinforces to the museum that a realistic collection policy is not required as there are a group of well meaning individuals willing to donate material to build the collection.

As well, a museum is suppose to be a centre of historical excellence, emphasis on suppose to. If you have collectors donating items that are to be centre showpieces, then how do you control the quality of restoration and markings? As you stated, for the Mk II Carrier, you are requesting that your name and rank be hand-painted on the side armour; markings that are not correct for the vehicle.

Okay, so you donate your fully functioning, suitably marked centre showpiece; what happens if in ten, twenty or fifty years from now the museum decides (because they own it) that the carrier would make a great permanent outdoor display. So much for the donation and your restoration work.

My point is, let the museum staff do the work that they were hired to do, which is to effectively manage a collection in a manner in which they do not have to rely on collectors to do that work for them.