Policies on Purchases, Loans, and Donations to the Permanent Collections



Does the Museum want some of my Thoroughbred racing memorabilia?

The National Museum of Racing expands its collections mainly through the donation of objects.

Objects must meet the following criteria in order to be accepted:

• The objects must relate to Thoroughbred racing, either flat track or steeplechase. No Harness racing materials can be accepted.
• The Museum must be able to provide for the storage, protection, and preservation of the objects using professionally accepted standards that insure their availability for the Museum's purposes.
• Duplicate objects will only be accepted if the condition of the object already in the collections has deteriorated to such a degree that exhibition of the object cannot occur.

Donations must be approved by the Collections Committee in order to be accepted into the permanent collections. Donors to the Museum collection are required to sign a Deed of Gift that conveys the transfer of ownership rights to the Museum, including decisions on exhibition, conservation, reproduction rights (excluding copyrighted items), and dispersal.

Please call (518) 584-0400 ext. 109 or e-mail nmrcollect@racingmuseum.net  to discuss potential donations with the Curator.

Does the Museum purchase objects?

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame relies mostly on donated materials and rarely purchases items for the collection. You are welcome to submit an inquiry to the Museum about purchasing your object. The inquiry should be sent in letter format, and must include an image of the object, the asking price, a detailed description including condition, and provenance information. All purchases must be approved by our Collections Committee. Please contact the Curator at nmrcollect@racingmuseum.net, or (518) 584-0400 ext. 109 to obtain a list of the upcoming Collections Committee meeting dates.

A response to your offer will be mailed to you within two weeks of the decision. If you wish to have support materials returned to you should the object be declined, please include a self-addressed envelope with the appropriate postage.

Will the Museum take my object on loan if I don't want to donate it?

Many institutions and individuals have generously loaned objects to the Museum. However, with rare exceptions, the Museum does not accept loaned objects for reasons other than immediate exhibition purposes. Please contact the Curator at nmrcollect@racingmuseum.net or (518) 584-0400 ext. 109 if you are interested in loaning an object.


How much is my object worth?

To find out more information concerning your object, particularly evaluation of condition, authenticity, and value, you will need to contact an appraiser who specializes in sporting art and memorabilia. Museum personnel cannot ethically or legally provide appraisal information for objects that could be donated to or purchased by the Museum.