For full guidelines on object donations please click here.

Our Acquisitions scheme is currently closed, we are not taking any object donations at this time.

Our collection reflects the history of York and Yorkshire from 1500 to the present day.

We are particularly interested in acquiring:

Costume and Textile

• Men’s costume from all periods.
• Costume from 1970 to the present day.
• Costume which reflects everyday life, including local industries, from all periods.
• Textiles that reflect trends in hobbies and crafts such as patchwork and quilting, needlework, knitting and crochet.

Military History

• Armour.
• Edged weapons.
• Associated memorabilia.
• Female military uniform.
• Items which reflect recent modern day warfare, with particular emphasis on how it links to York.

Social History

• Items that reflect ‘hidden histories’ of minority groups in York such as LGBT+ and black and minority ethnic communities.
• Items that reflect modern day living in York including:
  • National and local events and festivals.
  • York based industries such as racing, chocolate, tourism, and finance.

It is not always possible to accept everything that is offered for the following reasons:

• We already hold similar examples in the collection.
• The item is more appropriate to another museum (e.g. it is not from York or Yorkshire).
• It is in poor condition and would be difficult to preserve.
• There is not enough information about it.