Donating Artifacts & Archival Items
Thank you for your interest in donating artifacts or archival items to the National Coast Guard Museum.
While the Museum Association doesn’t directly accept artifacts or archival items, the Coast Guard History Program does collect, preserve, and promote the history and heritage of the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
The Coast Guard Historian’s Office determines the criteria, requirements, and processes for the Service to accept donations related to the history, heritage, and material culture of the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Criteria for accepting an artifact into the Coast Guard Heritage Asset Collection:
- Historical significance and context: Donated artifacts must have a clear connection to the USCG or any of its predecessor or related agencies. The item must be accompanied by supporting documentation.
- Relevance: The item must provide historical and educational value. All items accepted must have an historical, educational, exhibition, and/or programmatic use.
- Condition and preservation needs: The object must be in fair condition. Curatorial Services must be able to store the item appropriately based on its materials, condition, and needs. If the object is in poor condition, it must have significant relevance and context and must be able to be conserved as part of its long-term storage plans. Curatorial Services must be able to reasonably care for the item in perpetuity.
- Rarity and/or uniqueness: Items of a rare or unique nature that relate to the USCG or any of its predecessor or related agencies should be collected to represent singular and extraordinary aspects of the agencies’ history.
- Duplicates: Items that duplicate material already held in the Heritage Asset Collection should not be collected. They should only be considered if the historic context, background, and associated documentation make the item more relevant or rare than what is already in the collection.
- Association or importance of artist or producer: Items associated, used, and/or created by important artistic and Coast Guard figures will be collected.
- Format or size: Reasonable scale will be considered when assessing an item. Objects with sizes that can negatively impact the ability to provide long-term care and storage must be carefully considered to ensure that their historical context and value outweigh the costs of care and housing.
If you feel your artifact(s) meet the above criteria, please complete this form to provide information about your potential donation and email it to curator.ncgm@uscg.mil.
