Artifact Donation

The American Heritage Museum will consider donations of artifacts that will help tell the story of those who fought in defense of the United States and our allies depending on what the artifact is and our current needs.

While the preservation of historic artifacts is very important to us, please understand that we have had to put limitations on acceptance of artifacts. Over the past year, we have received hundreds of calls and emails about items that families find when organizing their home or taking care of the estate of a loved one. Because of this, we have had to establish some guidelines on what we can and cannot accept and have developed a process for you to inquire about donating an item and our communication back to you to accept or decline your offer.

We must restrict certain donations because we have very limited archives space and even less display space. Please read the lists below of what we are currently able to accept and what we cannot accept at this time. If your item is something that we may accept, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

Please do not call the museum asking if we would accept a donation of a certain type. Please use the form below so it may be routed through the correct personnel.

Please do not bring the items to the museum to donate without contacting us through this form at the bottom of the page. Our museum is staffed by volunteers and we do not wish to put them in an awkward position to decline a donation in person. If a donation is accepted, we will work with you on a day and time to come to the museum and make the donation as we will ask you to fill out paperwork for the donation for proper cataloging and attribution.

We do not offer appraisal, valuation, or historical verification services for individuals seeking to sell items. Due to IRS restrictions, we are unable to provide valuation or appraisal of donated items.

Please be aware that if we accept a donation, it does not guarantee that the item(s) will be placed on public display. As our exhibits will rotate and evolve over time, we may add items to curation as needed. Additionally, some items may be used for research or outreach only, so would not be part of public exhibition.

If you have called or inquired about donating a uniform or clothing item and we have declined the donation and you are looking for an alternate location to donate…
A secondary option that we ask all persons to look into is the local historical society or historical museum for the community where the veteran either grew up or made their home and family after service. As many of these local history museums help tell the stories of the citizens of the community, the story of local veterans with accompanying artifacts might be of more interest.

Please be aware that we receive 8-10 requests each week about uniform donations and we just cannot accept any more general U.S. servicemember uniforms of WWII forward. Some exceptions may be made for certain combat dress (not formal dress), uniforms of female servicemembers, or notable veterans who have a direct and important connection to macro artifacts already on display.

Thank you for your understanding!

ACCEPTABLE ITEMS FOR DONATION

Revolutionary War / War of 1812

Most Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We cannot accept on-the-spot donations dropped off during an unannounced visit.

Civil War to Spanish American War

Most Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We cannot accept on-the-spot donations dropped off during an unannounced visit.

NOT ACCEPTED – Recovered bullets, musket balls, belt buckles, unverified uniforms, unverified edged weapons (swords, sabers, daggers).

World War I

Most Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We cannot accept on-the-spot donations dropped off during an unannounced visit.

NOT ACCEPTED – Unverified or replica uniforms.

World War II

Select Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We cannot accept on-the-spot donations dropped off during an unannounced visit.

NOT ACCEPTED:

Standard Dress Uniforms – Exception is made for known decorated or high-ranking veterans only.

Personal items such as mess kits, foot lockers, and other items not related to combat.

Personal photos – Exception is made for combat photos or unique photos.

Patches or Insignia – Both original and reproduction.

Service Medals – Exceptions made for select Bronze Star and higher awards (Silver Star, Medal of Honor)

General Operating or Maintenance Manuals – Please contact us with exact type of manual to see if there is a need. Preference given to British, German, Russian, Italian, or Japanese types due to rarity.

Select Communication Equipment – Please provide the model number of the radio or receiver to us to see if we have a need.

General Books – Any books on WWII topics produced after the war itself are generally not accepted at this time.

Plastic Models & Kits – We do not accept any boxed or completed plastic models at this time.

Korea / Vietnam / Cold War

Select Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We will not accept on-the-spot donations.

NOT ACCEPTED:

Standard Dress Uniforms – Exception is made for known decorated or high-ranking veterans only.

Personal items such as mess kits, foot lockers, and other items not related to combat.

Personal photos – Exception is made for select combat photos or unique photos.

Patches or Insignia – Both original and reproduction.

Service Medals – Exceptions made for select Bronze Star and higher awards (Silver Star, Medal of Honor)

General Operating or Maintenance Manuals – Please contact us with exact type of manual to see if there is a need. Preference given to enemy types due to rarity only.

Select Communication Equipment – Please provide the model number of the radio or receiver to us to see if we have a need.

General Books – Any books commercially produced are generally not accepted.

Plastic Models & Kits – We do not accept any boxed or completed plastic models.

21^st Century Wars

Select Items Accepted – We need to see item (in person or photos) and know the provenance of the item before making a decision. Please use the form below to inquire whether the item donation is suitable. We will not accept on-the-spot donations.

NOT ACCEPTED:

Standard Dress Uniforms – Exception is made for known decorated or high-ranking veterans only.

Personal items such as mess kits, foot lockers, and other items not related to combat.

Personal photos – Exception is made for select combat photos or unique photos.

Patches or Insignia – Both original and reproduction.

Service Medals – Exceptions made for select Bronze Star and higher awards (Silver Star, Medal of Honor)

General Operating or Maintenance Manuals – Please contact us with exact type of manual to see if there is a need. Preference given to enemy types due to rarity only.

Select Communication Equipment – Please provide the model number of the radio or receiver to us to see if we have a need.

General Books – Any books commercially produced are generally not accepted.

Plastic Models & Kits – We do not accept any boxed or completed plastic models.

DONATION INQUIRY FORM