MAFM collects artifacts and archival materials related to the history of the armed forces in Mississippi, including uniforms, personal equipment, firearms, edged weapons, vehicles, flags, insignia, medals, photographs, scrapbooks, letters, diaries, souvenirs, and more. Items pertaining to the military service of minorities and women from Mississippi are especially desired to fill gaps in the current collection.

In order for an item to be accepted into MAFM’s collection, it must meet a certain collecting criteria. Criteria for evaluating items for acceptance into the collection includes the following:

• Artifacts must be relevant to and advance the mission of the Museum.
• Items acquired must fill an actual or forecasted gap in the existing collections or replace inferior examples.
• Items can be made available for exhibitions and research.
• Adequate care, storage facilities, and properly trained Museum staff must be available to maintain items in keeping with professionally accepted standards.
• The Museum and its staff must be sensitive to and fully comply with State, Federal, and international laws and regulations governing the acquisition, sale, and transfer of cultural properties.
• The Museum must obtain free and clear title to all items acquired without restrictions as to use or future disposition.
• The Museum must receive reasonable assurances that the present owner has a clear and verifiable title of ownership to each item offered for acquisition and has obtained the item legally and ethically.

Please note that even though your item may have intrinsic or historic value, these factors may have no bearing on MAFM’s ultimate decision of whether or not to accept your offer. MAFM may have similar items in storage, or the item may not fit into the Museum’s collecting scope. A decision made not to accept your offer in no way diminishes the value of your item.

Please complete the Artifact Donation Form on MAFM’s website. Each donation offer will be carefully reviewed by the Museum’s Collections Committee. If it is determined that your offer may meet the needs of the Museum, you will be notified by Collections staff. Arrangements will be made for the items to be mailed or brought to the Museum. Please contact the Museum Historian/Curator at 601-558-2377 or collections@mafm.us for further questions about the donation process.

The Museum strongly prefers for an Artifact Donation Form to be submitted for all items offered as donations to the collection. Unsolicited donations brought or mailed to the Museum are discouraged.

Unfortunately, MAFM is unable to accept all artifacts offered as a donation. Only items directly related to the Museum’s mission will be considered. Duplicates and items similar to ones presently in the collection are often not accepted. Exhibit and collections storage limitations also prohibit some artifacts from being accepted for the collection. Proper staff to care for the items offered must also be available.

The Museum’s Collections Committee meets bi-monthly to review donation offers. If your item is approved for the collection, a Deed of Gift will be mailed transferring ownership from you to the Museum. Any items not accepted by the Collections Committee will be returned.

Items donated to the Museum are placed in one of two collections. MAFM’s Permanent Collection contains significant items that merit perpetual care and professional preservation standards. The Education Collection contains reproductions and other expendable items for research and educational purposes.

MAFM cannot guarantee that a donated artifact will be placed on exhibition. Only a small percentage of the collection is displayed. Those items not exhibited are properly cared for and housed in secure, climate controlled storage areas, ensuring their preservation for generations to come. The Museum does often rotate artifacts on exhibit and features temporary exhibitions, allowing for more of the collection to be accessible to the public. The collection is also available for research purposes.

Transportation of firearms, edged weapons, and live ammunition onto Camp Shelby is restricted and requires special coordination with MAFM staff prior to a donation. All donation offers of such items to the Museum must follow donation policies. Do not bring a firearm, edged weapon, or live ammunition onto Camp Shelby or to the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum without prior authorization and instructions from Museum staff. If authorized to transport a weapon to Camp Shelby for an appointment, please transport it in a case, bag, or blanket. Do not brandish a weapon while at Camp Shelby or on MAFM’s grounds. Never attempt to disassemble ordnance (bombs, grenades, artillery projectiles, cartridges, etc.) to determine if it is live or not.

Due to IRS regulations, Museum staff are not able to appraise artifacts. To find a licensed appraiser in your area, contact the American Society of Appraisers or the Appraisers Association of America.