The South African Armour Museum is dedicated to retaining, preserving and exhibiting uniforms, equipment, weapons, accoutrements, archival documents and original artwork related to the long-standing history of the South African Armour Corps and its Soldiers. 

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However, please review the following information before contacting us with potential donations. Artefacts must have provenance to South African Armour Soldiers, units or operations and meet at least one of the following criteria to be considered for acceptance:

• Rare or one of a kind item

• Connection (with proof) to a historically significant person, unit, operation, battle, event, etc.

 

The museum does not accept memorabilia or commemorative items such as trophies, plaques, coins, reunion items, etc.

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Disclaimer: All donations to the SA Armour Museum are unconditional. The donor transfers the donated property, free and clear of all encumbrances, to the SA Armour Museum, hereby relinquishing all ownership, rights including copyright, title, and interest. Therefore, the Museum is under no obligation to exhibit an artefact and it may be retained in the Museum collection for research purposes only.

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Donation FAQs
Q1. Can I courier or drop off a donation without notifying the museum?
No, the museum does not accept any donations without a donation proposal form (click here to download the form in PDF format). The museum is selective in accepting offered donations. A donation could be rejected for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common reasons an item is rejected include:

• The museum already has multiple copies of the item in question.

• The item offered does not fit the museum collection policy.

• Limited or inadequate storage is available for the items.

• The item is in poor condition and would not be possible to conserve it cost-effectively.

• The item could contain contaminants that pose a health-safety risk to museum staff and visitors.

Q2. How are potential donations reviewed?
A committee comprised of museum staff review offered donations to make sure the items fit our collection policy, the donated items fill a hole in our collection, and that the museum has the resources to care for and store the donated items. 

Q3. Can the South African Armour Museum appraise my donation for its monetary value?
Museum staff are prohibited by law from providing appraisals of the monetary value of materials proposed for donation or any other reason. If you wish to determine the potential financial value of an item for insurance or sale, you may wish to contact a professional appraiser who appraises historical items. We suggest that you contact the South African Antique, Art & Design Association (SAADA) for valuations at https://www.saada.co.za/.

Q4. Can the South African Armour Museum buy my artefacts or documents?
No, the Museum does not have the funds to purchase items. All historical materials in the Museum’s collection are donated on a voluntary basis by individuals or organizations.

Q5. Can I require the South African Armour Museum to exhibit my donation?
The Museum cannot guarantee or promise that any objects or documents donated to its collection will be exhibited. Only a small fraction of the collection is displayed at any given time due to limited exhibition space, but all items in the collection are otherwise catalogued and are available for publicly beneficial research. Items on exhibition are also periodically rotated. The rotation of museum objects is the planned process to remove objects on display and move it into storage, or the substitution of one collection object for another similar one on display. The purpose of the rotation is to minimize damage to artefacts caused by long-term exposure to light, heat and other environmental conditions.

Q6. If I donate items, can I or a relative ask them back in the future?
The museum accessing policy determines that donors must sign a Deed of Gift to transfer legal ownership of the materials to the Museum, you forfeit all rights to the donated items. The Museum cannot return or “lend back” objectives.

Q7. Does the South African Armour Museum accept long-term loans instead of an outright donation?
The Museum does not accept long-term loans.

Q8. May I purchase artefacts that form part of the SA Armour Museum Collection?
No, selling parts of museum collections is prohibited by national and international law and can have serious legal and ethical implications. This practise is frowned upon by the museum community at large. Selling parts of museum collections will seriously undermine the credibility of the museum and will discourage future potential donors.

 

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