Donating an object to the Museum
PLEASE NOTE: Due to a renovation of artifact storage facilities now in progress, the museum is not accepting object donations at this time. The information below about the artifact donation process will remain available for reference and the museum will provide an update when donations can be resumed. The museum greatly appreciates your interest and support and apologizes for any inconvenience.
First, thank you for considering us as your artifact's future home. Donating an object seems pretty simple, but it involves a lot of effort to the Museum. Once the Museum accepts an object, it is responsible in perpetuity for the storage, upkeep, conservation, management, and documentation of the donated object, all of which require scarce Museum resources. For that reason, the Museum follows a strict process for considering new objects to add to our collection.
For the health and safety of museum personnel, the museum does not accept walk-in object donation offers. Please do not bring an object to the museum for donation without having a scheduled appointment with a curatorial staff member.
General Process
What will the Museum accept?
General Process
- Contact the Museum using the form below. Please provide the requested information for each artifact that you wish to donate. Museum staff will use this information to determine next steps and contact you.
- Make an appointment with the Museum to meet a curatorial staff member and discuss the object(s).
- At the appointment, the curatorial staff member will explain the process and answer any questions. The Museum may:
- Refuse the donation if the artifact(s) does not advance the mission of the Museum,
- Recommend another museum or similar organization that is more appropriate for the artifact’s preservation, or
- Accept the artifact(s).
- Tax receipts may be offered at the donor’s request for objects assessed to have a value of CA$50 or greater. The donor has the option to accept the museum’s internal assessment or seek a third-party appraiser at their own expense. Please note that the museum may insist upon a third-party appraisal if the object has high monetary value, namely greater than CA$2000.
- The donor is responsible for bearing any and all shipping and handling costs required to deliver the object(s) to the museum.
What will the Museum accept?
Per the museum’s mandate to preserve Canada’s tank story, the Canadian Tank Museum will consider acquiring the following types of objects:
- Objects used by the Ontario Regiment, the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, the Canadian Army, or historic military opposing forces in a tank and armoured vehicle role
- Engines, parts, tools, manuals, or similar resources that may be used to restore or maintain vehicles in the collection
- Objects that enhance the ability to educate the public with regard to the museum’s stated mandate
The museum reserves the exclusive right to determine the relevance of an object to its mandate and accept or decline offers of donation on that basis. Harassment and violence directed at the Museum and its staff over these decisions will not be tolerated.
The museum will NOT acquire:
- Objects related to other branches of the Canadian Armed Forces or other international military forces, including artillery, engineering, signals and communications, logistics, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force
- Any object that lacks a clearly defined role in Canadian military history
- Any object that does not have a valid ownership and title and that the donor cannot prove that they are legally permitted to offer for donation
- Any object that has been illicitly or illegally traded, stolen, or salvaged from battlefield, archaeological, or historic sites in violation of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property
- Any biological, geological, or culturally sacred object, including human remains