Museum Collections
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum collected its first artifact in 1937 at which time its charge was to "establish, equip, maintain and operate a repository to collect, classify, preserve and protect records, relics, articles and other things of historic interest connected with or pertaining to the origin, development and growth of baseball." In 1938, the Museum received 16 artifacts and the slow climb of a fledgling institution began.
After the war years, interest in the National Pastime blossomed and the Museum's collections began to grow in earnest. In 1963, the Museum received the largest number of gifts ever donated in one year with almost 4,000 objects accessioned into the permanent collections. During the early years, bequests were numerous and collectors were generous. The Museum presently accessions between 400 and 450 gifts per year.
Our collections currently contain between 30,000-35,000 objects that represent all facets of the game, from its inception to the present. Holdings include baseballs, bats, uniforms, player equipment, ballpark artifacts, awards, artwork, textiles, tickets, collectibles and assorted memorabilia. Also, the Hall of Fame has one of the largest baseball card collections in the world, with more than 130,000 different cards.
In addition, our archives house approximately 2.6 million items, including photographs, books, magazines, news clippings, films, and video and audio tapes. Together, these collections are the foundation of the institution because we rely on them to support our public programming, loan program, traveling exhibitions, education program and research needs. As stewards of the collection, it is our charge to protect the objects for the public. It is vital that objects be conserved and preserved for future generations to enjoy.The Museum is committed to the conservation of our materials by transporting textiles, works on paper and other objects to professional conservation laboratories on a regular basis. We have upgraded our museum facilities to protect the collections by installing a state-of-the-art HVAC system which regulates humidity and temperature throughout the building. Collections are housed in climate controlled repositories and are maintained by a professional staff using accepted museum practices.
Learn more about how an item is accessioned and becomes a part of the Hall of Fame's collections in our Online Exhibit, Museum Bound.
Please note that not all of the artifacts in the Hall of Fame's collections are on display in the Museum. The Hall of Fame's first traveling exhibition, Baseball As America, contains hundreds of artifacts and may be coming to a city near you in the future. Learn more about Baseball As America.
If you own an object that is part of our Pastime's history and you would be interested in sharing it with fans everywhere, consider donating it to the Hall of Fame and Museum.
Becoming a Donor
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