Improvisation???

[US-Subs]

I absolutely agree, and note that this was why Picatinny was closed. The Base would not allocate funds to support, the buildings were not in decent enough repair to protect the items, and the Military Museum Board ordered the museum closed. My understanding of the process, however, was that the museums have no authority to release items. In the case of Picatinny everything was slotted to be moved to long term stoarage at the military museum storage location at Pueblo Depot. Likewise, I did a lot of volunteer time with the Artillery Museum at Ft. Sill, sorting out issues with their ordnance storage and such, there they had actual "junk" which had been donated, once it had been accepted it was in the system and they had no easy way to legally dispose of it.

I fully understand that in nearly every case donating to a museum is a lost cause, they are targets for theft and suffer from mismanagement, lack of funds - all you have said and more. It's extremely sad, as movement of items to private hands most often means that the history is lost, or at least hidden from view to most people interested in research. forums like this help, but how many "silent" members - or non members, have key pieces of the puzzle locked away in their basement, never to be seen till their death and the brief flurry of auction interest - ie the death a year ago of a key Japanese collector. Where are those rare items now, and how to research them?

I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just sad that it is so true -

[botcheg]

In the case of Aberdeen, I've spoken directly with the people involved at the time, it was suspected that an individual working in the museum was working with an outsider, stealing things from the storage area which were later auctioned off to collectors. Very nice, very expensive items that were hioghly sought after by collectors. By the time Aberdeen realized that there was a problem, hundreds and hundreds of items were gone. Also gone were the records that they had ever existed, necessary to prove the theft. They went from a warehouse full of treasures to a cramped room, and no one was charged with the crime.

Bob, while I completely agree with your thoughts on your collection, I would argue that in my experience, 99% of the people at these museums believe truly in what they do. Unless things have dramatically changed, the military museums (and EOD schools) cannot legally release materials to the outside. It is only even rarely, under exceptional circumstance, that they can turn something over to property disposal. This, I have been informed, is also the same in the UK. So when you hear someone saying that they traded for it....... The US military system (museum and schoolhouse) has no mechanism for trading, except for museum to museum. They call it theft.

Back around 2000 to 2004 timeframe I was on the East Coast U.S. and visited a Military surplus store. In the window was a German rocket in it's wooden launch crate which I just had to get photos of. I found out much later after my second visit that it was a 15 cm Raketenscheingeschoss, a rocket used by the Germans during air raids to mimmick the bombing signals dropped by the British pathfinders causing the bombers to bomb off target. The owner of the shop said he had gotten it from a collector that had bought it from Aberdeen Museum. Makes you wonder.
Bill

[Grenademan2005]

Militaria items means collecting, collecting means money, money means always will be bad people trying to get it, I´m quite sure that most of the items are not distroyed, people who works at a museum know very well the stuff and the value.