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Author
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Topic: Museum to donate a space patch collection?
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SparkR_13
Member Posts: 111
From: Martinsburg, WV 25401, USA
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 06-29-2026 11:43 AM
   
I am at a point where I would like to get my collection into a place for all to see. So the question becomes who would want it?My collection is the Space Shuttle era. Most people have all the mission patches, sometimes the variants. Most people might have some of the associated payload/experiment patches. Some people collected the decals. I went the long road... I too have each mission patch, some variants and most of the associated patches.. But what is probably the ONE of the most extensive collections is that I have attempted to obtain them for EACH mission, thus on average there are about 20 items for each flight, patches and distinct decals. There are over 3000, (probably a lot more) pieces. Rough idea is to donate it all. Get a Big story, nationwide, then a gofundme so that perhaps I could get some investment back, but also to get funds to help with the display (135+ framed groups need a big wall!) Any suggestions? Thanks. — Stephen Sparks |
Liembo
Member Posts: 921
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 06-29-2026 02:14 PM
I think a lot of people will assume that their donation to a museum will be displayed, but in reality a very small subset may be, if any at all, and the bulk of the donation will likely get filed away into their archives. Not a bad place to go, either, but it's a reality you have to be prepared to accept. The idea of using crowd-sourcing to fund a display for it is a great idea, but it still comes down to logistics and space. Perhaps there's a STEM school, tech or community college that may be more receptive to such a donation and display, more so if their own investment (money and labor) is minimal.
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 56746
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-29-2026 03:18 PM
The American Space Museum in Titusville, Florida and The Space Museum and Grissom Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri come to mind as possible interested repositories, as their displays already encompass space memorabilia. The Columbia Memorial Science Center in Downey, California might also have interest, as the new facility they are working for fund and build to display their full-size mock shuttle orbiter will have plenty of wall space to fill. I could see the collection being the visual fodder for an engaging traveling exhibit, so you could try reaching out to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas (which develops such) to see if they have any interest, or perhaps The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, for similar reasons. |
Chuckster01
Member Posts: 1217
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 06-29-2026 03:50 PM
Donating to a museum is a very generous thought and the American Space Museum would love to have them. But...Please be aware that getting national news coverage is very unlikely. ASM has extensive experience with news agencies. Most of the time they are looking for local interest news that will sometimes get picked up by affiliates and rarely run as a national story. People make $100,000 dollar donations to museums all the time that never get press. If you are banking on the coverage and the GoFundMe then you need to set up all of the media coverage in advance and have the news there on the day of donation. Remember a GoFundMe advertised for display purpose would go to the museum and not you personally. Just a word of advice from a man who has made donations no one will ever know about. |
JohnSpaceUK
Member Posts: 76
From: UK
Registered: Jan 2016
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posted 06-30-2026 03:22 PM
I've been quietly snapping up interesting or rare patches with a British theme, and sending them on permanent loan to the National Space Centre in Leicester. They will unlikely ever be on display, but they are now included in the archives listed online, and I know they are preserved for the future. Your collection sounds amazing, but it is also pretty niche. I imagine everyone here on cS would love to see them on display, but their value as a displayed collection is limited, in my humble opinion. |
SparkR_13
Member Posts: 111
From: Martinsburg, WV 25401, USA
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 07-01-2026 03:14 PM
Well... thanks everyone. Talk about crushed dreams! hahahah. But I figured that pretty much would be the answers. It's the hobbyist curse, one's collection gets bigger and bigger and the dreaming of greatness later. But the bottom line always comes back. Worth a fortune to me, yet most would not even pay a dollar! Yep... Well, I am going to get everything together and perhaps store in fireproof boxes so someone can find them in the future. Maybe by then that lucky person will find something as valuable as the No.1 Superman comic or a mint Ty Cobb card. Meanwhile, I do have about 500 very nice patches to sell, doubles, rocket launches, etc. Thanks again everyone. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 2062
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 07-01-2026 04:29 PM
I have been donating my ELV patches to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum in increments. They have my Titan IV and Delta IV collections. I am waiting for the Atlas V fly out. I have just about given up on Delta II and Atlas II because I don't see being able to fill the holes. | |
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