Since the topic is quite relevant, it was decided to write a separate post on this issue. It should be noted right away that I am not encouraging anyone to donate their finds to museums. I will only describe the process of transferring items.
Every year on October 07, some museums celebrate a special holiday — Giver’s Day. Donor — a person who donates objects of historical and cultural value to the museum free of charge. Donor — an unofficial colleague of a museum worker who, without being a museum specialist, replenishes museum funds. Thanks to donors, the history of the region is being pieced together. The names of donors who have made a great personal contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of regions are sometimes even included in special Books of Honor of museums.
The photograph captures the moment when the head of the search and history club “StareTs” Denis Shibaev hands over an ancient Russian saber of the 12th century to the Director of the Spassky Historical and Archaeological Museum named after G.K. Wagner to Marina Mikhailovna Ershova.
Fans of instrument search, who consider themselves patriots of their native land and want to donate several expensive and not very expensive antiques to the museum free of charge, rightly want to make sure that the objects they donated will later end up in the museum’s exhibitions, and not in the pockets of museum workers or private individuals. collectors. In general, they want a document confirming the transfer of objects to the museum. According to generally accepted rules, the transfer of their finds to the museum by generous diggers occurs according to an act of acceptance and transfer with an inventory of the items (you can photograph and attach photographs of the transferred items in advance), which indicates that the items are being transferred free of charge (as a gift). The act is drawn up in 2 copies, signed by the persons who accepted and handed over the items, approved by the director and sealed with the museum’s seal. Or with the involvement of the press to record the very fact of transferring the item to the museum. But in practice, almost all museums located, for example, in the Ryazan region, for some reason are not willing to take historical objects into their collections, especially when they are required to confirm the transfer of these objects. Many museums are afraid to take objects from private hands, including from treasure hunters, for the following reasons: — firstly, this is unnecessary paperwork; — secondly, many do not even know how this is documented. For example, in 2014, in Elatma, Kasimovsky district, a kind-hearted man from the bottom of his heart brought to the local museum a foundry man’s treasure that he had found, consisting of various products and shapes. Many museums only dream of such exhibits, but in the Elatom Museum, instead of gratitude, a man was barked at and sent to some mother)))) As a result, after a call from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Ryazan region and giving them a carrot from the lips of the management, the valiant workers The Elatom Museum took objects from a man, and then for a long time they could not understand what to do with them. You can transfer the find to the museum in the presence of the media in order to officially record this fact, as for example I did when in 2014 I decided to donate an Old Russian saber of the 12-13th century to the Spassky Historical and Archaeological Museum named after G.K. Wagner, where they happily took this saber from me.
But under similar circumstances (only without journalists) honest people brought to the Sapozhkov Museum a real, not poorly preserved saber from distant tsarist times, so the museum workers, right from the threshold of their state institution, sent them to hell, citing the fact that this was a cold weapon and they it’s not needed. I had to sell this saber to the upset wretches for a measly 150 thousand rubles. This is such a sad story!))) As a positive example, I will cite the Shilovsky Museum of Local Lore, where the transfer of valuables to the museum is formalized as a donation. An application is written addressed to the director, then the EFZK (expert fund purchasing commission) gathers. It’s easier to say thin. museum council))). First, the item is taken for temporary storage, then the commission determines which category this priceless antique artifact will go into, after which an agreement is concluded for the permanent storage of this item. It should be noted that despite the controversial attitude towards the director of the Shilovsky Museum of Local Lore, Gavrilov Alexander Petrovich, on the part of some scientific minds of the Ryazan region, the museum’s exhibitions are truly impressive, especially the collection of ancient Russian weapons. In general, I really like visiting this museum, so I definitely recommend everyone to visit it! In general, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times!))) As for the Spassky Historical and Archaeological Museum named after G.K. Wagner, then the director of this museum, Marina Mikhailovna Ershova, is a person who is well versed in her specialty. She actually accepts antiques into the museum. I talked to her about the fact that many treasure hunters would like to donate interesting things to the Spassky Museum, but they fear for their safety and are afraid that problems may arise. She guaranteed complete confidentiality and said that she would gladly accept antiques as a gift for the museum. Accordingly, a natural question arises: how to make sure that when you transfer your antiquities to the Spassky Museum, part of your donated from the master’s shoulder «golden dirhams» accidentally got lost or stolen somewhere. Answer: everything must be done officially, with papers. On the other hand, if you do everything officially with papers, your personal data will be exposed, which most hackers, frankly speaking, don’t really want to see (you never know, valiant police officers will then decide to open a case of administrative liability). It turns out to be a double-edged sword!:)
But there is one problem if you want to make everything official. Before donating your finds to the Spassky Museum, you will have to prepare in advance acts of acceptance and transfer with an inventory of the items and attaching photographs of the transferred items, which must be drawn up in 2 copies, signed by the persons who accepted and handed over the items, and subsequently sealed with the seal of the museum. By the way, the exhibition in the Spassky Museum on the pre-Mongol era is very, very meager; there are practically no ancient Russian weapons either. In general, everything is sad. The only pride — This is a gorgeous reconstructed panorama of Old Ryazan. Oh yes, I almost forgot about the main museum of the Ryazan region. So, according to the information I have, one day conscientious lovers of instrumental search brought some very interesting antiquities to the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve (Ryazan Kremlin) and wanted to donate them there. At first everything was fine, the guys were greeted, praised, and told that they would be happy to take these items from them. However, after they heard about the acceptance certificate, for some reason they began to call them black diggers, robbers of archaeological monuments and threaten them with problems with the law, police, etc. Accordingly, after this incident, these lovers of instrumental search lost any desire to hand over their finds to the main museum of the Ryazan region, like many other diggers, I think, too!))) After all, the refusal to accept objects from the donor according to the act on the part of museum workers causes fair caution and great suspicion!!!
Unfortunately, theft from museums is not uncommon. According to the results of an audit by the Accounting Chamber, published in 2001, 220,000 exhibits were missing from the Hermitage alone. Moreover, during the inspection, things got ridiculous: The auditors asked to present 50 exhibits – the museum presented only three. Insurance documentation and proof of authenticity were often missing.
Independent experts from the FSB found that «black archaeologists» (fans of instrumental search) actually provide only no more than 1% of criminal revenues to the Russian antique market. The rest is given by museum workers, legal archaeologists, ordinary thieves and smugglers.
And this despite the fact that in Russia «black archaeologists» journalists now name absolutely all people who have metal detectors. And lovers of instrumental search should give their finds to museums for free. And it is also preferable without an act of acceptance, so that it is easier to steal!)))
But, for example, in Estonia, a reward for a find is paid in the amount of 100% of the estimated value. Not 50%, or some other ratio, but 100%. And precisely to the finder. The estimated cost is determined by an expert commission. The amount of the reward depends not only on the material value of the find itself, but also on the set of correct actions upon its discovery. It is thanks to this that many finds that previously went to the black market now end up there in the hands of the state. A clear and transparent scheme for transferring finds has increased the number of amateur searchers who are ready to legally interact with the state.
I seem to have everything. I propose to discuss this matter!)))
Author of the article: Denis Shibaev (StareTs)