Frequently Asked Questions

I have an object I want to donate or loan. Would the National Sports Museum want it?

1. If you’d like to donate or loan something to us, please send us an email or letter outlining what object(s) you would like to donate including as much detail as possible – for example: how you came about the object; what it is; its history and photo of the item.

Please do not send the objects themselves!

Email: collections@nsm.org.au

Post:     
Administration Officer
Museums Department – Collections
PO Box 175
East Melbourne VIC 8002
Australia

2. Once we receive your email or letter:

a. We will acknowledge receipt with a return email or letter.

b. Your offer will be reviewed by the Museums Department collections staff, who will assess the material on offer.

How is a Loan different from a Donation?

All loans currently accepted into the Collection have been sourced specifically for exhibition purposes.  As such we prefer not to accept material on loan, only to have it housed in our Collection store indefinitely.

However, we would encourage you to send us details about the objects you would be interested in loaning to us so that we may contact you in the instance that we do review our current exhibitions, or undertake the development of a new display. 

Alternatively, you may wish to considerer the donation of your object(s) to the Collection (see above). 

All donated material is cared for (in perpetuity) to the highest museum standards, and we ensure that the donors are permanently acknowledged as the original owner/s. 

Further to this, whenever an object from the Collection is on display, the donor would be notified and where possible it would be listed as ‘Kindly donated by ____________’, or however you may wish it attributed.

Once in the Collection, objects then become available for research and display.

Can you tell me how much my object is worth?

The Melbourne Cricket Club or National Sports Museum is unable to provide formal or informal valuations on objects.

Contact information for valuers can be found in PDF format at the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program website.

The Cultural Gifts Program provides tax incentives to encourage gifts of culturally significant items from private collections to public art galleries, museums, libraries and archives.

I have an object that is damaged and needs some work. Can you do it?

The Melbourne Cricket Club or National Sports Museum does not undertake conservation work. The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) (Inc.) is the professional body for conservators in Australia.

According to the AICCM, conservation is:

“…a highly technical task based on knowledge of the structure and chemistry of the materials involved. It includes preventative action through the creation of a safe environment for storage and display and treatments to stabilise and repair objects. Where needed restoration techniques are employed to enhance the aesthetic nature while preserving the historical integrity of the item.”

The AICCM website has a listing of conservators trained in material conservation who may be able to undertake conservation work for you.

 

Can I use the National Sports Museum for research?

Facilitating access to the Melbourne Cricket Club Library, Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum Collection and the Melbourne Cricket Club Museum Collection, from which much of the content for the National Sports Museum is drawn, is a key goal for the Melbourne Cricket Club, as collection custodians.

Access to these holdings for research purposes is by appointment only and service charges may be applicable, dependant on the nature of the request.

The MCC Library may be contacted at library@mcc.org.au.

For access to either the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum Collection, Melbourne Cricket Club Museum Collection or the National Sports Museum Collection, please contact collections@nsm.org.au.