Just a note on my experience with the NY Public Library's Spalding Collection. The online collection is just a fraction of what they have, but unfortunately they have misplaced or lost over a hundred items that they know of - and probably much more.
I hired a researcher who was familiar with the collection and paid him in advance to find items supposedly in the collection. After hours of searching he gave up and returned my money. He said that so many items were misplaced that he couldn't find where many of the albums and boxes were located to even begin a search.
He was told that years ago boxes of Spalding items were placed in other branches of the NY Public Library, but that nobody he spoke to at the library knew where they were. The library staff conceded that some Spalding items in the Library's main branch may be misclassified which is why they can't be located.
This is disturbing to say the least and a better word would be scandalous.
The only museum or library I would consider donating to is the Baseball Hall of Fame. They at least have an inherent appreciation for baseball cards, photos and memorabilia. Staff at other museums or libraries often do not, and baseball items are just one other treasure in their collection.
Just thought I'd pass this experience on to those generous individuals looking to donate their collections. Hopefully the final home for your collection will be super secure and well managed.
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