Finding a Good Home For 100 Year Old Military Stuff?

[CRAZYBUBBA]

Hey guys.

 

I work at a raghouse and find some really cool stuff sometimes that would be best suited to educational purposes/exhibition. In the past I've just tossed them in bales and they've gone to end users who probably wouldn't give a second thought to the value of the garments. I've been thinking about donating these but my alma mater isn't really interested in textiles. Is there a national institution or group that you guys donate your stuff to? If anyone knows of one in Canada that'd be great too.

[Bluehawk]

Here are a couple of museum leads:

 

http://www.rom.on.ca/collections/curators/palmer.php

 

http://www.fitnyc.edu/3425.asp

 

These curators should be willing to give leads and exercise an opinion suggesting what might be done.

[316th FS 324th FG]

You might find homes for the items here among collectors.

[CRAZYBUBBA]

Thanks bluehawk, the ROM is an excellent lead!

 

You might find homes for the items here among collectors.

[TJM]

I am on the Board of Directors for the Museum of Valor in Virginia. We are always looking for items to add to our displays. The President of the Museum can be reached at [email protected]. Telephone: (540) 582-2043.

[jgawne]

If you mean military, there are numerous options. I'd say American stuff to The appropriate branch museum system, and Canadian stuff to the Canadian War Museum.

 

If you mean non-military textile items, then there is the Textile Museum in Washington, as well as a major textile and historic costume collection at Framingham State University which I have given many things to. Everything from a 1900 era wedding dress to a scrap of a very old fabric, to a (who knows how old) metalic embroidered skull cap from youpickastan.

 

If you want I could ask if there was a similar Canadian collection as then you might be able to convince your boss to let you make a special pile as he could probably get a good tax write off on the stuff.

[Croix de Guerre]

Hey guys.

 

I work at a raghouse and find some really cool stuff sometimes that would be best suited to educational purposes/exhibition. In the past I've just tossed them in bales and they've gone to end users who probably wouldn't give a second thought to the value of the garments. I've been thinking about donating these but my alma mater isn't really interested in textiles. Is there a national institution or group that you guys donate your stuff to? If anyone knows of one in Canada that'd be great too.

 

 

Bubba, there ain't a whole lot of donating going on here , kind of defeats the whole "collecting" thing. The problem with donating unidentified piles of military cloth to a museum is that they most likely will not have a place (or space) for it. People just assume that a museum will want to have all this "old" stuff, but to be truthful, unless the items in question are significantly historical and/or are within the focus of the museums parameters, they most likely will not be interested in it. Your best bet is to sell the items on the internet or in a forum like this and then donate the money if you are so inclined. Good luck! :thumbsup:

[CRAZYBUBBA]

People just assume that a museum will want to have all this "old" stuff, but to be truthful, unless the items in question are significantly historical and/or are within the focus of the museums parameters, they most likely will not be interested in it.

Yes, I had made the same mistake. It's a real curiosity but I understand why that's the case. I think that places like the museum of valor (mentioned above) are great. When collectors buy pieces I don't think that many people get to see their collections.