Donation Wish List

The National Museum of the Marine Corps always welcomes opportunities to acquire artwork and artifacts related to the history of the Marine Corps. The examples listed on this page are not meant to be an exclusive list but represent some of the known gaps in the collection that the Museum hopes to fill.

Arms and Armament

Helmets and body armor used by USMC tank and tracked vehicle crews.
Artifacts associated with USMC precision shooting teams and instruction such as shooting jackets, awards, etc.
Ghillie suits, spotter scopes, or other field equipment used by USMC snipers.
Specialized field equipment used by Marine combat engineers and/or EOD technicians, including inert IED training examples.
Documented edged weapons pertaining to individual Marines (Ka Bar, Gung Ho knife, Raider Stiletto, bayonets, etc.)
Items associated with Field Artillery operations such as FDC kits, dummy/inert projectiles, dummy/inert fuses, sight equipment.
Dummy/inert/training shape BGM-71 TOW series missiles and/or other equipment related to the M220/A1/A2/A3 TOW missile system.
On-Vehicle Maintenance equipment.
M1 Gas Trap Rifle or components

Art

Original drawings, sketches, paintings, and sculpture created before World War II.
Paintings and drawings used to illustrate the magazine covers and articles from Leatherneck Magazine or the Marine Corps Gazette prior to 1960.
Art work relating to Korea and the Cold War, 1950 – 1965.
Drawings, sketches, and paintings by official Marine Corps combat artists in World War II through Vietnam. We also collect work by Unit and Division artists.

Aviation

Artifacts associated with enlisted pilots.
Flight gear used pre-1941.
Original official and unofficial unit or deployment patches or plaques.
Utility uniforms and equipment used by crew chiefs, line mechanics, plane captains, etc. (any era).
Uniforms and flight equipment used by HMX-1 flight crews.
Field gear and camera equipment utilized by combat cameramen (any era).
Radio and other communications equipment used by the Marine Corps pre-World War II.
Artifacts associated with USMC aviation operations during World War I.
Artifacts associated with USMC aviation in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Artifacts associated with USMC participation in air races and meets between 1918 and 1970.
Artifacts associated with humanitarian missions performed by Marine Corps aviation units.
Items from closed USMC air stations.
Flight gear and equipment used by Marine Corps test pilots and astronauts.

Cultural & Material History

Materials that document the USMC response to COVID-19 including face masks worn by Marines in the field, informational posters, signage and ephemera, items associated with Marines who supported operations aboard the USS Mercy and Comfort; and unofficial t-shirts, patches, and challenge coins created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objects associated with Marine Corps service animals, both official use animals and mounted Marines (i.e. working dogs, pack mules, horses, etc.) and unofficial unit mascots such as Jiggs and Chesty.
Recruiting materials that originate from 1775 through 1918, and from 2000 to today.
Sports uniforms and equipment used by Marines before, during, and after their time in the USMC including collegiate, USMC intramural teams, professional teams and Olympic sports careers, Invictus Games, DoD Warrior Games, Paralympics, and Marine Corps Marksmanship competitions.
Items associated with US Navy Chaplains that have served with Marines.
Props, advertising posters, or entertainment industry artifacts associated with movies, television programs, plays, etc. that center on Marines or Marine operations.
Marine-themed commercial toys, dolls, action figures, board games, comic books, etc., particularly those dating pre-1980.
Objects associated with the Toys for Tots program.
Musical instruments, advertising posters, uniforms, etc. associated to Marine Corps field bands.
Objects that document the impact of deployment on Marine family members post-WWII objects, like Yellow Ribbon items, "dad dolls," and other home front materials.

Marine Corps Band

Uniforms, instruments, memorabilia and archival materials (photos, tour posters, journal or diaries, etc.) associated with the following:

                  —Marine Corps Musician Apprentice Program (1798–1915)
                  —Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Band (1943–45
                  —United States Marine Band General

Black or white pith helmet
Metal shoulder boards and/or aiguillettes
Leader and Second Leader (Director/Asst. Director) uniform pieces and musical instruments from the USMC Band from 1798–1900.
Wardman Park Hotel concert kinescope recordings of Marine Corps Band performances from 1950–1960.

Uniforms and Heraldry

Pre-20th century, early uniforms and/or equipment connected to the USMC.
Any valor medals (all eras, regardless of level) with association to identified Marines.
Well documented, complete medal collections of Marines from all eras.
Collections associated with the Inter-War era (1920s–1930s) Marines, with a particular focus on China Marines, or service in the Caribbean.
Helmets or headgear from pre-WWII China Marines.
Combat uniforms and/or complete service and dress uniforms that are well documented to a Marine.
Well-documented uniforms and/or combat gear associated with Marines who fought during the Korean War.
Pre-WWII Marine Corps specific insignia (Eagle Globe and Anchor ornaments/Branch of Service insignia, patches, etc.)
Artifacts associated with Marines in unusual or highly specialized duties, such O.S.S., Paramarines, Marine Raiders, Marines who served in the White House staff, etc.
Uniform collections from non-Marines who served directly alongside or under the command of the Marine Corps in combat (all eras).

If you have artifacts that you would like to donate to the Museum, please see our Artifact Donation Page