do you think donating items to a MUSEUM is a good idea? have you ever donated?

[Marc Chevalier]

Wardrobe and props?!!

Nothing is so calculated to destroy an item!

Heaven forbid!

Indeed. They could have been donated to Nazis instead. [huh]

 

[sheeplady]

If a family wants to be rid of it (because frankly its kind of creepy to own such items), what would a person do with it? Donate it to a museum with the intention of education? Sell it (although that seems immoral to me)?

Most Nazi stuff and stuff related to slavery freaks me out majorly. I'd feel creepy selling something that was related to either, and if I had something like that to donate, I'd be tempted to leave it in a well-labeled box with the museum's receptionist while I was wearing a disguise (modern clothing!). I'd never be able to destroy something like that because it is historically valuable, but I don't want it in my home, I don't want to make money off of it, and I don't want to be known as the donor/ former owner of the "nazi" or "slave" item.

I'm not saying that I don't think these things don't have historical value I just want no part of ownership.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

To add an extra layer of creepy, not only were many of the SS uniforms made in factories using slave or concentration camp labor but these factories were directly owned and operated by the SS! Not a well-known fact today but the SS were involved in a number of enterprises (all part of the empire-building -- mainly between Himmler and Göring -- that characterized the internal politics of the Third Reich), owning factories making everything from their uniforms to porcelain and even soda water -- they controlled a considerable part of the German soft drinks industry.

 

[Lily Powers]

I think the historical value of these items is very high. A terrible regime, yes, but it shouldn't be forgotten. I personally know several collectors. They are normal guys, not weird or into Nazi beliefs or anything of that nature. They are just fascinated by history. Some of them look at the items as a monetary investment, which they certainly are.

It isn't illegal to sell or trade WWII German uniforms within the US, but I know ebay prohibits anything bearing a swastika. I'm not sure about the laws in Europe although I'm certain they are probably more strict.

I'm surprised to hear there were issues regarding the sale, as I see this type of stuff for sale quite often.

It was only a few pieces, but the office handling the matter was a gov't office, so it was sensitive to the elected official in charge. No museum in a 200-mile radius was interested in them, and using them as props seemed a harmless solution while still maintaining the duty required of the job.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

One episiode had a gal trying to pawn off her father's WW2 diary and his leather jacket that he wore while flying in the B-17s. I wanted to kick her.

There was an episode a while back in season 1 where a young man comes in with a document signed by John Hancock. It had belonged to his grandfather and was given to him after his grandfather had died. You could see how cherished the item was to his grandfather because of how it was framed and displayed. I wanted to hit the guy! All this guy could see was dollar signs rather than how lucky he was to basically inherit such a unique historical item.

You can see the episode here on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJbMUjNNI_8

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

Most Nazi stuff and stuff related to slavery freaks me out majorly. I'd feel creepy selling something that was related to either, and if I had something like that to donate, I'd be tempted to leave it in a well-labeled box with the museum's receptionist while I was wearing a disguise (modern clothing!). I'd never be able to destroy something like that because it is historically valuable, but I don't want it in my home, I don't want to make money off of it, and I don't want to be known as the donor/ former owner of the "nazi" or "slave" item.

I'm not saying that I don't think these things don't have historical value I just want no part of ownership.

I know what you mean. I would hate for someone to find something like that among my family's collection of things, without any document to explain why we have them to begin with.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

I think the historical value of these items is very high. A terrible regime, yes, but it shouldn't be forgotten. I personally know several collectors. They are normal guys, not weird or into Nazi beliefs or anything of that nature. They are just fascinated by history. Some of them look at the items as a monetary investment, which they certainly are.

It isn't illegal to sell or trade WWII German uniforms within the US, but I know ebay prohibits anything bearing a swastika. I'm not sure about the laws in Europe although I'm certain they are probably more strict.

I'm surprised to hear there were issues regarding the sale, as I see this type of stuff for sale quite often.

I had heard too about restrictions on eBay from my mother.

 

[AmateisGal]

While I agree that it is a shame that people pawn or sell things that we would treasure were it ours, if the person pawning has no love or enjoyment for the item, it is probably better that they sell it and some one that will cherish said item might have it. It would be worse if they held on to such an item, and it was just allowed to deteriorate or simply tossed out as old juncque. There was an older gentleman that my brother and I helped haul hay when we were in juniour high. He showed us a few things that he brought back with him from Japan when he was there with the Army after WWII. He was a bachelour, and I have no idea what became of those items. I fear that they may have been left to rot when he when he was sent to the nursing home or even destroyed when his house was burnt down by an arsonist. I would have liked a few of the things he had in his home just as mementos to remember him by.

Good point.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

While I agree that it is a shame that people pawn or sell things that we would treasure were it ours, if the person pawning has no love or enjoyment for the item, it is probably better that they sell it and some one that will cherish said item might have it. It would be worse if they held on to such an item, and it was just allowed to deteriorate or simply tossed out as old juncque. There was an older gentleman that my brother and I helped haul hay when we were in juniour high. He showed us a few things that he brought back with him from Japan when he was there with the Army after WWII. He was a bachelour, and I have no idea what became of those items. I fear that they may have been left to rot when he when he was sent to the nursing home or even destroyed when his house was burnt down by an arsonist. I would have liked a few of the things he had in his home just as mementos to remember him by.

One of the things I worry about with a potential buyer of a vintage item is why are they buying it in the first place. I'm sure there are many good people that buy the items with good intentions (to decorate their homes, add to their collections, or historical preservation). There might be people buying vintage items with the intention of buying it for scrap parts.

I do appreciate people that take broken vintage items and make them usable again though.

I'm sorry to hear about the older gentleman's items being lost (whether it be to rot, thrown out, sold, or destroyed in fire). That's a really heartbreaking story. There's many things that I wished I had gotten the chance to see of my family's old things before my uncle decided it was junk and needed to be thrown out.

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

Give it in loan (loan agreement) for a period of time IF the museum is very interested in showing it to the public.
In that case it still belongs to you or your family for as long as you want.


EDIT: http://askville.amazon.com/difference-loan-permanent-gift-museum/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=67519324

It prevents the Museum selling it off to pay wages for the office staff

 

[Talbot]

Back in the 90's there was a local antique bazaar near me full of stuff that had been donated to the National War Museum.

I hate to think of the mark up the dealers were operating on.

 

[green papaya]

Back in the 90's there was a local antique bazaar near me full of stuff that had been donated to the National War Museum.

I hate to think of the mark up the dealers were operating on.

thanks, now Ive decided not to make any donations to any museums, I would rather destroy it than give it to them so they can resell for profit