Collections FAQ

Various kinds of procedures are undertaken by conservators to care for the items in the museum collection. Some examples of conservation procedures are as follows.

Examination: to determine the materials and method of manufacture, and the causes and extent of alteration or deterioration.

Documentation (written and photographic): to record the state of condition, detail the materials and methods used in treatment, and report observations and conclusions made during the conservation of art and artifacts.

Restoration Treatment: to restore good physical condition and appearance, and retard deterioration. Restoration treatment can include repair of structural damage, cleaning to remove foreign matter (dirt, etc.) and discolored coatings, and inpainting to restore the appearance at damaged areas.

Preventive Treatment: to minimize future deterioration by maintaining appropriate environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, light levels, etc.) within the museum, and establishing policies that promote collection preservation.

Scientific analysis and research：识别和表征在整个历史上如何进行艺术和文物，并评估保护程序和治疗的有效性。

Mariners的博物馆是一个收集机构。我们依靠公共和私人来源的慷慨捐赠作为一种扩大或填补集合中的差距。讨论捐款，请联系收藏部门。在联系博物馆时，请在您的对象，历史和几张详细照片中完整描述。

After we receive your initial inquiry you will be contacted by a staff member who will gather additional information about the object and present your donation to the Museum’s Collections Committee. The Collections Committee is the Museum body responsible for the oversight of the collection and is composed of staff from several different departments. The committee, which meets once a month, will evaluate your object and determine whether to accept it into the Museums collections.

If the Committee accepts your donation you will be contacted by the Office of Collections Management to complete the donation process. You will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift, which is the document that officially transfers the ownership of the object to The Mariners’ Museum. On that document you will be asked to assign a value to the object and record how you wish the donation to be recognized. Once the paperwork is completed, the Office of Collections Management will make arrangements to have object brought to the Museum.

If you are unsure of how to place a value on your object there are several methods you might find helpful in locating the fair market value of your item. The easiest method is to research your object on the Internet to see how dealers or other sellers are listing similar items. Catalogues of auction houses like Christie’s or Sotheby’s may also be useful in determining an appropriate value. If you are still unsure, please contact the Office of Collections Management or the attending curator for additional assistance.

如果您希望为您的对象完成认证评估，则以下网站可以提供有关您所在地区的评估师的信息：

• International Society of Appraisers
• American Society of Appraisers
• Appraisers Association of America, Inc.
• American Association of Independent Appraisers

这些组织中的每一个都通过特色提供评估师的目录，有些目录允许您通过位置搜索特定的专业。

While the Museum can provide assistance in locating an appropriate appraiser(s) it cannot commission the work to be completed on the donors behalf.

请阅读我们的外向Loan Policy statement for information regarding loans. As a matter of policy, and to preserve dwindling storage space, the Museum does not accept loans of materials not specifically related to its current exhibition program.

• View保护传出贷款政策（PDF）
• ViewCollections Management Policy (PDF)

工作人员of the collections department can help identify objects and can undertake simple research aimed at providing additional information about an object’s history. To begin the process please send a thorough description of your object (including inscriptions or marks), provide an overview of any known history or provenance, and several detailed photographs to the collections department.Upon receipt, the inquiry will be forwarded to the appropriate curator or researcher who will send an answer as quickly as possible.