History San José’s collection grows through donations from the public. These donations are used for research and for creating informative permanent and rotating exhibits. We cannot guarantee that your donation will be exhibited.Complete the mandatory Donation to Collection form for consideration. Your submission will be considered by the Collections Committee, which meets every month. Under most circumstances, you will be notified of our decision within 30 days of completing the form. We may contact you for further information in the meantime.
Priority is given to materials that are:
Please understand that we cannot accept everything people wish to donate. Adding items to our collection is a serious responsibility. Donations must fulfill the Museum’s mission, and the Museum must be able to care for the items it accepts.
HSJ has an extensive collection of historical materials and objects. An offer may be declined if:
You will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift which transfers the legal ownership of the objects to History San José.
Tax deductions as a charitable donation may be applied to both donation of artifacts and other items as well as cash and stock transfer contributions. HSJ advises you to seek the counsel of a tax professional. HSJ is a federally-registered non-profit corporation under section 501(c) 3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Museum is forbidden by law to make appraisals of items donated or potentially donated to it. For information on appraisal services or to find an appraiser near you, please consult the following organizations:
The Appraisers Association of America (includes the article “Elements of a Correctly Prepared Appraisal”)
The American Society of Appraisers
International Society of Appraisers
The Appraisal Foundation (includes the article “A Consumers Guide to Appraisals and Selecting an Appraiser”)
research@historysanjose.org
408.287.2290
1650 Senter Road | San José, CA 95112
