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Collections

Donate an Object

Collecting is one of the core areas of work in museums.  New material is being added to the collections all the time, and we are always grateful for offers of new items.

All object offers must be discussed with a curator by phone or email first - you can find contact details for our curators below. Front of house staff at the museum are unable to accept objects, so please do not bring anything in without first discussing it with a Curator. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

All potential acquisitions are carefully considered, to ensure that they meet the criteria of our Collecting Policy. There are many things to consider, such as the condition of the object, its significance to the collection, whether we already have similar objects, and if we have sufficient storage space.

The museum will only agree to accept loans if they are for short term temporary exhibitions or permanent display.

Please see our collections development policy for further details.

UPDATE FOR 2026

Donating an object to the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum or Coventry Transport Museum:


This is an exceptionally busy time for the Collections team as we are preparing to re-locate the museum collections to a new Collections Centre. This project is due to be completed by the end of 2027.

Unfortunately we are currently unable to respond to offers to donate items to the museum, unless these are exceptional or highly significant.

If you have an object which you are thinking of offering to the museum and which falls into this category please read the following information before getting in touch.

Please be aware that:

  • We are unable to give valuations, so please contact an auction house or valuer if you require this service.
  • We don’t accept items on loan unless they are for a specific display or exhibition. The museum has a loans moratorium in place with earliest loans taking place in October 2027.
  • We can’t accept items with specific conditions attached or a requirement that an item will be on display.
  • We can’t accept hazardous items or items containing asbestos or other potentially harmful materials.

We can’t accept everything that is offered to us and may decline an offer for any of the following reasons:

  • We already have a similar item in the collection
  • The item doesn’t fit our collecting policy
  • The item is not in good condition
  • There isn’t enough information about the history of the item
  • The item does not have a connection to Coventry
    (The Herbert mainly collects Social History items which were made or used in Coventry; The Transport Museum only collects vehicles or related items which were made in Coventry – we are currently looking to acquire the following vehicles: Daimler SP250 (Dart) motorcar, Triumph TR3, TR4, TR5, TR6 motorcars)
     

If you think your item would be suitable for our collections please contact us using the form below:

 

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