Private Collection vs. Museum

[VictoryXC]

The Tobin thread made me stop and think about the advantages and disadvantages of guns (or other sought after collectible items) being held by an individual or a museum. In the case of art, many pieces in museums are owned by individuals or companies and loaned to the museum. The museum cares for and insures the piece. Something like the Tobin gun (or others that are rare and sought after) raise a lot of questions. It's an interesting topic considering the various pieces one has had the opportunity to see only because they were in a museum. For example, the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone, David, Tut's mask, the various car museums, the NRA museums. A few thoughts.....

Museum

• Local versus recognized museum (this would affect many of the points below)
• Will it be on display or in storage?
• Will it actually be properly maintained?
• Will it be appreciated by patrons?
• Will it have to be deactivated? (GASP)
• It will never get used.

Private Collector

• Will a wealthy private collector only acquire it as a “trophy”?
• Will it be maintained or stored away and end up pitted with rust?
• Will it get used in the field?
• Will it end up going to the police/smelter when the individual dies?
• Will heritage be lost?
• Will sought after items end up with wealthy individuals with no opportunity for the working class to see them?

 

[Magellann]

Museums often have items donated and loaned to them, and most are stored away and never seen. Its still a lot better than being turned in for destruction. And in a private collection, thats up to the owner to determine how they want to use it, but at least the seller gets something in return .

 

[canvasback]

The Tobin thread made me stop and think about the advantages and disadvantages of guns (or other sought after collectible items) being held by an individual or a museum. In the case of art, many pieces in museums are owned by individuals or companies and loaned to the museum. The museum cares for and insures the piece. Something like the Tobin gun (or others that are rare and sought after) raise a lot of questions. It's an interesting topic considering the various pieces one has had the opportunity to see only because they were in a museum. For example, the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone, David, Tut's mask, the various car museums, the NRA museums. A few thoughts.....

Museum

• Local versus recognized museum (this would affect many of the points below)
• Will it be on display or in storage?
• Will it actually be properly maintained?
• Will it be appreciated by patrons?
• Will it have to be deactivated? (GASP)
• It will never get used.

Private Collector

• Will a wealthy private collector only acquire it as a “trophy”?
• Will it be maintained or stored away and end up pitted with rust?
• Will it get used in the field?
• Will it end up going to the police/smelter when the individual dies?
• Will heritage be lost?
• Will sought after items end up with wealthy individuals with no opportunity for the working class to see them?

I think you confuse firearms with items that have some mass appeal and/or can be said to be "important" by the arts elites and so receive public funding for their display to the public. Somehow the artsy Left have convinced us that 'High Art" is somehow valuable and moves society ahead thus being an appropriate expenditure of public money....(a crock but a topic for another day).

Except in the rarest of cases, modern firearms (post 1870 roughly) are vilified by those who create, manage and fund museums. And, the number of people who care is remarkably small. We spend our time in a firearms echo chamber, reinforcing our personal views by talking with like-minded individuals. But there aren't that many of us. Think of dedicated firearms museums in the US. There is the NRA, the Cody in Wyoming and then there is....?? And that is with 10 times the population and a much stronger gun culture.

Then there is your list of questions. Most of them apply to both scenarios. Will they be maintained properly? Will they been seen or hidden from view? Half your questions are posing the same question with different words.

Display or storage?
Appreciated by patrons?
Destroyed by police?
Heritage lost?
Seen by working class (whoever that is)?

These are effectively all the same question. And it's a problem whether in a museum or in a private collection. Your other questions all apply in both cases.

So given that, and having looked carefully at firearms in museums that DON'T specialize in firearms, I say to the private collector it should go. The general level of knowledgeable care and maintenance is sad and works to the ultimate degradation of the firearm. Serious private collectors typically take much better care....it's an investment they give a #hit about.

BTW the best car museums I've ever seen by far were private collections on public display, earning their owner cash.

 

[saskbooknut]

For a start, shotguns are not a Mona Lisa. While there may be a shotgun out there of world heritage status, I doubt that you would get the UN to declare it so.

Museums full of guns, and some museums with many examples of a type. Museum standards of care have often not been provided for their firearm collections. Museums tend to be insider organizations where your credentials dictate your access. Much of museum holdings are not on display and not accessible to the public.

Shotguns are tools, in a few cases they are elegantly made tools. Only a very few firearms are so valuable as to be in the realm of wealthy collectors.
Lots of very valuable firearms are held by people of modest means, who chose to save and put their discretionary spending into quality firearms.

Of course, loss of firearms over time is what has made some individual firearms scarce and therefor valuable.

You can tell where my sympathies lie. The great bulk of collectible firearms should be in the hands of private collectors/shooters.

 

[silverfoxdj]

For a start, shotguns are not a Mona Lisa. While there may be a shotgun out there of world heritage status, I doubt that you would get the UN to declare it so.

Museums full of guns, and some museums with many examples of a type. Museum standards of care have often not been provided for their firearm collections. Museums tend to be insider organizations where your credentials dictate your access. Much of museum holdings are not on display and not accessible to the public.

Shotguns are tools, in a few cases they are elegantly made tools. Only a very few firearms are so valuable as to be in the realm of wealthy collectors.
Lots of very valuable firearms are held by people of modest means, who chose to save and put their discretionary spending into quality firearms.

Of course, loss of firearms over time is what has made some individual firearms scarce and therefor valuable.

You can tell where my sympathies lie. The great bulk of collectible firearms should be in the hands of private collectors/shooters.

Well said firearms are not going to find space in the National Museums at all, even the Canadian War Museum has more items than it has space or funding for

 

[VictoryXC]

I was in no way promoting one over the other nor was I confusing firearms to other items with mass appeal. I am against wealthy individuals, institutions and countries hoarding. For me this applies to most collectibles.

saskbooknut described my ideal preference for firearms "Lots of very valuable firearms are held by people of modest means, who chose to save and put their discretionary spending into quality firearms.". I fall in the modest means category. In the case of firearms, I prefer they are used and enjoyed rather than a private collector or museum putting them away in storage where no one sees them or they are not enjoyed. I also view a private collector who is passionate about a collection differently than one who buys to display wealth. Firearms being shunned and not being given space in museums is another problem.

 

[the spank]

I really am indifferent either way. In the end its just stuff. Material things. You can’t take it with you once you’re gone so I really don’t concern myself what will become of it. Museums and often private collections made available for viewing purposes have their place for keeping history alive but beyond that? Just my 2 cents.
However on that note I would love to own a restored P-51 Mustang!

 

[bogusiii]

I was in no way promoting one over the other nor was I confusing firearms to other items with mass appeal. I am against wealthy individuals, institutions and countries hoarding. For me this applies to most collectibles.

saskbooknut described my ideal preference for firearms "Lots of very valuable firearms are held by people of modest means, who chose to save and put their discretionary spending into quality firearms.". I fall in the modest means category. In the case of firearms, I prefer they are used and enjoyed rather than a private collector or museum putting them away in storage where no one sees them or they are not enjoyed. I also view a private collector who is passionate about a collection differently than one who buys to display wealth. Firearms being shunned and not being given space in museums is another problem.

It's a museum or business for prohibs in Canada, unless they are welded solid. No private citizen will own some of the now over 100 year old historic pieces out there once their current owners pass on.

Typically private people do a better job and are more passionate with regard to their collections. But, as you say, sometimes those items never see the light of day. It's a free(ish) country so I can't complain about that.

 

[vagrantviking]

Several years ago I heard a talk by the director of the Fort Whoop Up society in Lethbridge (it's since imploded) talking about the vast number of firearms available for transfer between museums. Most were trying to unload as much as possible and they aren't permitted to sell or destroy things in their collection. The Fort had taken all they could hold and then some.

I have an aunt who used to work at a museum and spoke to her about donating a part of a large art collection in an estate. Most museums and institutions like hospitals etc. Want a considerable amount of money included with any donations to cover storage, maintenance, cataloging etc, etc. It's more complicated than people realize.