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Thank you for considering donating your objects to the Museum’s collection!

All donation offers go through the Maritime Museum of BC’s Collections Committee, which meets several times throughout the year. In order to submit a donation offer to the Committee, please follow the steps below:

  1. Email you donation offer to info@mmbc.bc.ca. No phone calls, please.
  2. Include the following in your email:
    1. A description of the item(s);
    2. A photo of the item(s); and
    3. Any background information you have on the item(s), such as how you came to be the owner, and information you might have on the original owner(s).
  3. Wait for Maritime Museum of BC staff to respond with the next date the Collections Committee will be meeting. They will also follow up with you on the decision from the Committee.

If your item(s) is physically large and/or of high value, the offer may need to be further approved by the Board of Directors. The Board meets on a monthly basis.

Please note the following points the Committee considers when making a decision on an offer:

  1. The size of the item(s) and how much storage space it will require;
  2. What kind of museum-quality storage materials will be required to ensure the item(s) is preserved;
  3. How much staff time it will take to fully process the donation;
  4. Whether or not there is a similar item in the collection;
  5. The physical condition of the item(s);
  6. Whether there are conditions associated with the donation offer; and
  7. The importance of the item(s) to BC’s maritime history.

Also, please note that due to financial constraints, we are unable to purchase items to be added to the collection.

We do offer in-kind tax receipts for collection donations, but require a third party appraiser. If the donor would like a third-party appraisal done for tax receipt purposes, they will have to cover the costs associated with this.