Ever loaned a piece of your collection to a MLB ball park museum?

[therealaxis]

I have been contacted by the Royals regarding a bat I own.They would like to display it for aa showcase they will be doing in a few months.My question is do you get compensated any way like possibly some free tickets?I really want to work at the stadium and figured this may be a good way to get my foot in the door.Anybody ever done this before what were your experiences if so?

[ironmanfan]

I haven't loaned any material to a ballpark per se, but I currently have items on loan, displayed at the Sports Legends Museum next to Camden Yards and in the past have loaned items to the Babe Ruth Museum and the Ripken Museum (when it was operational). Overall, the experiences have been positive (good way to share your collection with more people safely).

[CampWest]

I'm curious to know what the item is... :confused:

[therealaxis]

I'm curious to know what the item is... :confused:

It is my Bo bat I didnt mention it because I just started collecting and that is honestly my only semi rare piece and I didn't want to keep mentioning it over and over and possibly annoying people.The stadium is doing a Bo Jackson career showcase and that is what they would like to use it for

[Birdbats]

I've loaned items to the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum and to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Always a great experience, never a dime in compensation. The reward is knowing you helped (and being able to brag to your buddies, "Hey, that's my jersey/bat"). I also value the contacts I've made because they've been very helpful sharing information that helps me as a collector. My advice would be to not ask for any favors; if they want to offer you something, they will.

[therealaxis]

I've loaned items to the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum and to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Always a great experience, never a dime in compensation. The reward is knowing you helped (and being able to brag to your buddies, "Hey, that's my jersey/bat"). I also value the contacts I've made because they've been very helpful sharing information that helps me as a collector. My advice would be to not ask for any favors; if they want to offer you something, they will.
That sounds awesome ,I kind of figured that they don't offer any monetary compensation I just thought they may throw you a few free tickets or something.I will not ask for anything and see what happens it is a cool opportunity ether way.As I stated earlier I realy want to work at the stadium selling tickets or something along those lines possibly I can use this to network a little bit!

[sellingmygamers]

The hall of fame returns stuff? I was always under the impression that they don't borrow items for displays. You either donate them for good or they don't want anything....

[Dewey2007]

I've never loaned a piece to a MLB baseball club but I have coordinated a sports exhibit through our local museum and I display a number of my jerseys and bats. It's nice to share your collection with others. You will probably have thousand of people looking at your item after it's all said and done so that in itself should be a good feeling.

I am going to be working to hopefully display my football jersey collection on the campus I work at when the new student-athlete center and refurbished football stadium re-opens in 2012.

I also agree with Birdbats, don't ask for any favors. Through your generosity of helping out things may end up working out in your favor anyway. Good luck!

[xpress34]

The hall of fame returns stuff? I was always under the impression that they don't borrow items for displays. You either donate them for good or they don't want anything....

This is a DIRECT CUT and PASTE from an eMail I received from the HOF when I rose a question about a Chest Protector that was for sale that the seller claimed had been in the HOF for some years:


Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for your recent e-mail inquiry to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum concerning a Bill Dickey chest protector. The permanent collection does not contain this item, but it could have been in the museum on loan at some point in time. Donated items are never traded, sold, or returned to donors but the museum has taken in a number of loans over the years. Loans are always returned to lenders unless they become donations.

Feel free to e-mail if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,
Susan MacKay
Director of Collections


Susan L. MacKay
Director of Collections
National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326
smackay@baseballhalloffame.org
Ph: 607.547.0213
Fax: 607.547.2044
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org

[LWMM]

The hall of fame returns stuff? I was always under the impression that they don't borrow items for displays. You either donate them for good or they don't want anything....


They often borrow items for induction displays if they do not have sufficient items in their own collection. I believe that they first ask the players themselves to borrow items, and will then accept items from collectors if they still need some.

[ironmanfan]

Here are a couple pictures from last summer's National Convention. The Sports Legends Museum had a booth and displayed various pieces of memorabilia during the week...This is from the day where they featured my umpire's lineup cards from the first game of Cal Ripken's 2632 Consecutive Game Streak:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1natl-3.jpghttp://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1natl-2.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1nat.jpg

Another funny story is that the curator for the museum is also a beer vendor @ Camden Yards..Back in 2007 during a game when I was buying a beer from him, he asked me if I had any Doug DeCinces memorabilia as they were doing a display due to him being inducted into the Orioles HOF later that summer....I had a GU jersey to lend and the deal was struck during the beer sale.....

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/1decinces-1-1.jpg

Just make sure to get a loan agreement in writing (which stipulates ownership, duration of loan, insurance, etc.).

[therealaxis]

Here are a couple pictures from last summer's National Convention. The Sports Legends Museum had a booth and displayed various pieces of memorabilia during the week...This is from the day where they featured my umpire's lineup cards from the first game of Cal Ripken's 2632 Consecutive Game Streak:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1natl-3.jpghttp://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1natl-2.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/1nat.jpg

Another funny story is that the curator for the museum is also a beer vendor @ Camden Yards..Back in 2007 during a game when I was buying a beer from him, he asked me if I had any Doug DeCinces memorabilia as they were doing a display due to him being inducted into the Orioles HOF later that summer....I had a GU jersey to lend and the deal was struck during the beer sale.....

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/1decinces-1-1.jpg

Just make sure to get a loan agreement in writing (which stipulates ownership, duration of loan, insurance, etc.).
That is so cool I'm a big cal fan too!Thanks for mentioning the whole paper work/insurance thing also I was wondering about that!

[gameused]

I have a question...what happens if you loan a high dollar item out to say the Hall of fame or a team museum and that item is stolen or damaged, would their insurance cover the value of the item?

Thanks, Bobby

[cincy13]

I have a question...what happens if you loan a high dollar item out to say the Hall of fame or a team museum and that item is stolen or damaged, would their insurance cover the value of the item?

Thanks, Bobby

I've put some items on loan the Reds Museum since day one. We sit down with the ass. curator and list the items. We tell them what the item is worth, it's written down. We've never had a problem. They're great to deal with. I know some high end collectors in this town that also put some of their items on loan.

[Dewey2007]

I'm assuming their insurance would cover theft or damage. The other issue is if a designated value was established prior to you loaning the item. If not, it would probably be a fight with the insurance company trying to determine a value. What we think it's worth is not necessarily what they might think it's worth.

Bill, did you indicate a price of what your Ripken pieces were worth prior to loaning them out in case of theft or damage??



I have a question...what happens if you loan a high dollar item out to say the Hall of fame or a team museum and that item is stolen or damaged, would their insurance cover the value of the item?

Thanks, Bobby

[metsbats]

I loaned my Duffy Dyer 1973 World Series bat to the Mets Hall of Fame at Citi Field. We all got our names on a "Thank You" plaque. (Note fellow Forum members Andy, Jessie & Nick) and all attended a free game using the 2009 season.

[Jayworld]

Not baseball related, but I have loaned (long-term, 2 years) several items from my Southwest Conference collection (game used jerseys, helmets, programs, artwork, tickets, signatures, etc.) to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (their new SWC wing) in Waco, Texas. I was asked to placed dollar amounts on each item for insurance purposes (in case of the unlikely event of fire, theft, etc.), so all items are properly insured by the Hall. Also, anytime I want to go down, they will provide me with free tickets (I did not ask for these).

Hope that offers some insight.

Thanks.

[rj_lucas]

I've made permanent donations to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and made a long term loan to the Ted Williams Museum.

In fact, if you went through the touring Hall of Fame exhibit at Royals FanFest this weekend, two tickets I had given to the Hall of Fame from George Brett's 3000th hit game were on display (I still have one, so I knew the seat section/numbers). I was pleased to see that all these years after giving the tickets to the HoF, they were still in immaculate condition.

Interestingly, I've also traded with the Royals Hall of Fame. I gave them two letters related to the formation of the Royals in exchange for the Royals/Cardinals lineup card from the game in which Albert Pujols scored his 1000th career run. It was fun to make a trade.

I don't know if it's still the policy of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but in the past they gave lifetime memberships to permanent donors.

Looking forward to seeing your bat in person this season!

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[NEFAN]

I have a question...what happens if you loan a high dollar item out to say the Hall of fame or a team museum and that item is stolen or damaged, would their insurance cover the value of the item?

I have several items on loan to the NE Patriots museum. They are all listed on a contract with the value of each item that is updated yearly. the museum is responsible for the security of the items which means compensation in case of loss. Other than a free tour of the museum and a new connection the get answers to questions, there was no compensation.

[MUSEOVEN]

Hello ;) I Donated Some Jerseys To The Venezuelan Hall Of Fame Also I Participed In 1 Exhibition 2 Years Ago.. Thanks

[G1X]

I visited the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame a few years back (when they were sharing space with the Bowling Hall of Fame) and noted that they did not have much from Willie McGee. I wrote a letter to the Cardinals museum curator offering to loan my McGee Cardinals items (2 game-used jerseys, 2 batting helmets, and bat) with no strings attached.

The curator called and we had a nice conversation. I told her that I would gladly loan the items to them on an indefinite basis and probably never ask for them back - even agreeing to a contractual arrangement if necessary - but I wanted to retain ownership for obvious reasons. She stated that they did not accept loans, only a donation of the items.

Last year, I made the same offer to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as I have game-used items of several of their inductees. Despite having someone with connections communicating with the Hall, they were much like the Cardinals in that were not open to accepting loans, only donations.

Looks like others have not had much trouble, even with the Cardinals, so that has given me some inspiration to offer once more to each group.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League jerseys, Atlanta Falcons jerseys, AFL/NFL durene jerseys, and Willie McGee and Darren Lewis game-used items.

[ironmanfan]

Mark:

I think a lot that goes into a sports museum thought process accepting items on a donation or loan scenerio manily depends on what their needs are. For example, you'll note that the OP noted that they Royals were doing a special exhibit on Bo Jackson and thus wanted the bat. When Doug DeCinces was inducted into the Orioles HOF, the Sports Legends Museum had a temporary need for a GU jersey of his to exhibit, etc.

I'm sure if the Cardinals were doing a special exhibit on the '82 WS or if McGee was inducted into the Cardinals HOF, their thought process may be different.

I'm thinking they just had no specific need for your items at the time you offered and were just going to store them away anyways (and thus happy to accept them as donations).

[Birdbats]

I agree with ironmanfan. The Cardinals will gladly accept loans of items they need for certain displays. For example, when Ozzie Smith was inducted into the HOF in 2002, I loaned the Cardinals a couple game-used bats at their request. But, if you just call out of the blue with an unsolicited offer, the chances they'd need your particular item at that time are slim. I'm sure if they ever want to do something with Willie McGee, they'll remember your conversation. Whether they call or not probably will depend on what they have in their collection (just because you didn't see a lot of McGee items doesn't mean they don't have them; only a fraction of their collection is displayed at any one time), and what Willie would loan them himself (they'll typically ask the player for items before turning to collectors).

[G1X]

Jeff and ironmanfan,

Thanks for the input. That makes sense. I never thought about it from those viewpoints.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League jerseys, Atlanta Falcons jerseys, AFL/NFL durene jerseys, and Willie McGee and Darren Lewis game-used items.