OT: Need Baseball HOF Contact For Artifact Donations

[btcarfagno]

Everything I can find on the web has to do with monetary donations. The only page I found regarding artifact donations is basically blank, seeming defunct page. Does anyone know who I would need to contact to discuss the possibility of making an artifact donation? If they don't want it that's fine but I don't even know where to start to see if they would want it.

Also I would not donate it if it were not to be on display. That would be my only reason for donating the items.

[Bugsy]

I would contact Tom Shieber, but that said, they are fairly discerning with the donations they accept. Since they have to catalog, house, and possibly treat artifacts, there is a cost for them accepting pieces. Also, less than 10% of their collection is on display at any given point. My guess would be that they would either only accept or reject a donation. I doubt they would guarantee display time, but it never hurts to ask. Good luck.

Chris

[drcy]

Unless it's something earth-shattering, I wouldn't donate it to the HOF. Better to have it donated to a smaller museum or historical society where it will be featured and displayed than a big place where it won't. Our own Dave Eskenazi has Seattle PCL items displayed at the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field that thousands a year, including me, see.

No museum will guarantee display time or what they will do with it in the future, unless you're donating the Mona Lisa. Though many museums these days catalog their items for online search, so have quasi-libraries. Meaning, that even when an item is not on display it can be searched and used for research.

It can cause major problems for museums when they have eternal unbreakable rules set by the founders or donators, rules that are short-sighted or binding a century later.

[NYHighlanderFan]

I can not personally speak about the baseball HoF. But I can speak of my experiences donating to the Hockey HoF located up in Toronto.

I received the "royal tour" of the archives when I donated there. The archives are about 15 minutes west of downtown inside the complex where the Leafs practice, nowhere near the actual HoF. I was able to ask to see and able to hold anything I asked to see that was not currently on display. It was an incredible experience which I will not hesitate to experience again. And to see firsthand how they archive their artifacts is unreal. And I can image the baseball HoF guys would be the same way. It was fascinating! They freeze any items that come back into the archives from display or any new donations. They will thaw the items out and then freeze everything a second time over a 5-6 day period. This practice kills any mites or material-destroying cells that may be hiding inside a jersey or whatever. This assures the items having safe and the highest preservation storage possible. The film and negative rooms are chilly. There are dozens upon dozens of filing cabinets with everything imaginable.

The option of donating to a small museum has the best intentions, no doubt! My only concern with small museums are their guarantee of remaining open. We can all name quite a few local smaller museums which have closed over time. If collectors consigned to a private museum and it goes under, is there really a 100% guarantee of getting whatever back? Or will everything end up absorbed in a bankrupcy issue and end up in the hands of a bank from another state?

[MVSNYC]

Hi Tom-

I was successful in donating original artwork my late father did of the Hall of Fame (he did a fantastic pen & ink sketch of the front facade of the Hall in 1994), I had it professionally framed & matted 3 years ago after he passed away and submitted it for donation. There’s a donation committee that meets every few months to review all donations. They voted unanimously to accept his art work. I received a wonderful letter, certificate and a lifetime pass. The people I dealt with were awesome.

PM me your email address and I’ll look up all the info and share it with you Tmw.

Best-
Michael

[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Hi Tom-

I was successful in donating original artwork my late father did of the Hall of Fame (he did a fantastic pen & ink sketch of the front facade of the Hall in 1994), I had it professionally framed & matted 3 years ago after he passed away and submitted it for donation. There’s a donation committee that meets every few months to review all donations. They voted unanimously to accept his art work. I received a wonderful letter, certificate and a lifetime pass. The people I dealt with were awesome.

PM me your email address and I’ll look up all the info and share it with you Tmw.

Best-
Michael

WOW!! that is awesome!!!!!!!!!