Item Donations

Thank you for your interest in donating a piece of history!

The Museum of the American G.I. is proud to host one of the finest collections of U.S. military vehicles, uniforms, and paraphernalia. We are always looking to expand our collection and welcome donations of relevant items. Of particular interest to the museum are:

  • U.S. servicemen and women’s uniforms with badges, ribbons, and patches
  • American WWII and on propaganda and recruitment posters

However, with limited funds and storage capacity, the museum must follow a strict criteria when determining whether to accept new pieces. Factors that affect this decision include, but are not limited to, the storage and long-term cost of maintenance and preservation, the appropriateness for the museum’s current collection, and its potential for exhibition use. The museum reserves the right to refuse a donation for any reason.

If you are interested in donating an item to the museum, we ask that you first read our Acquisition Guidelines listed below. Please note, at the time we do not accept items on loan, only permanent donations. If you are wishing to donate a uniform, please keep all badges, ribbons, and patches attached.

Please note that due to limited space, we may be unable to consider your items without the information listed above. We greatly appreciate your items and descriptions. After we have reviewed your donation, a museum representative will then contact you to discuss whether or not we are able to accept the item.

Acquisition Guidelines

We are honored that you are considering a donation to the museum. Please review the following guidelines for Museum acquisitions:

  1. The item(s) must be consistent with and relevant to the stated purpose, scope, and activities of the Museum. While we will not automatically rule out items from other countries, it is important to note that our focus is on American servicemen and women.
  2. As we have limited storage and facilities, the ability for the museum to adequately store and preserve the item(s) will be a significant determining factor in its acceptance. No item(s) will be considered for acquisition if future care and preservation is deemed to exceed the museum’s resources. If the item(s) should require such care, we highly encourage the donation(s) includes financial support for their storage and preservation.
  3. Items must be free of copyright restrictions.
  4. Donor must provide verifiable record of authenticity and provenance for all proposed donations. The museum will make every effort to determine that items offered are not items that have been stolen, wrongfully converted, or acquired under false pretenses.
  5. If the museum discovers that an item it has acquired is in violation of the above statement, the museum shall seek to return the item to the legal owner or shall seek to determine the proper means of disposition through recognized authorities.
  6. All acquisitions are to be outright and unconditional. While the museum will always do its best to honor and preserve the memories of the servicemen and women who used its acquisitions, the museum hosts a large collection with limited viewing space. As such, it cannot guarantee that items donated will be placed on exhibition, or that they will be exhibited or stored intact as a single collection.
  7. The museum has a firm policy that prevents it from accepting items under loan, either short or long term, unless the loan is between the museum and a section of the US Federal Government.
  8. All donations to the museum’s collections are irrevocable upon the formal and physical transfer of items to the museum.
  9. All legal instruments of conveyance and warranty of title, signed by the donor/seller/agent/etc. setting forth an adequate description of the items involved and the precise conditions of the transfer shall accompany all acquisitions.
  10. All acquisitions by gift or bequest to the museum will remain in the possession of the museum for as long as they retain their physical integrity and authenticity, and as long as they remain useful for the purpose of the museum.
  11. Federal law prevents the museum from providing identification services or appraisal values for donated items. Donors are responsible for appraisals of value.

Item Donation

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