The American Rubber Duck Museum

Your Duck May Hold a Piece of History

Rubber ducks often carry stories that extend far beyond the bathtub. They can document manufacturing history, advertising campaigns, popular culture, childhood traditions, charitable causes, family memories, and the creativity of the people who designed and collected them.

The American Rubber Duck Museum welcomes offers of rubber ducks and related historical materials that may strengthen the permanent collection, support museum research, or help tell an important story.

Every offer is reviewed individually. Please contact the museum and receive approval before mailing or delivering any materials.

Please don't mail or drop off an artifact before contacting the museum. We review every potential donation before accepting it into the collection.

What the Museum Collects

The museum considers objects and materials that help document the history, design, production, promotion, use, and cultural meaning of the rubber duck.

The museum may also consider books, magazines, artwork, games, household objects, records, toys, and other duck-related materials when they support the museum’s mission.

What Makes an Artifact a Good Fit?

The museum considers more than an object's age or monetary value. An artifact may be especially useful to the collection when it:

helps document a maker, manufacturer, retailer, designer, or collector;
preserves evidence of how rubber ducks were made, marketed, sold, used, or remembered;
has a known history or provenance;
fills a gap in the museum's collection or research;
represents an unusual design, material, period, event, or cultural connection; or
helps tell a story that might otherwise be lost.

An ordinary-looking object with a well-documented story can sometimes be more valuable to the museum's mission than a rare object with no history attached.

How the Donation Process Works

1. Submit an Offer:

Send photographs and information about the artifact through the museum’s Artifact Offer Form.

2. Museum Review

The museum evaluates its relevance, history, condition, documentation, storage needs, and relationship to the existing collection.

3. Decision and Follow-Up

The museum may request more photographs, measurements, background information, or a conversation with the owner.

4. Approved Transfer

If accepted, the museum provides shipping or delivery instructions and prepares the appropriate ownership documentation.

5. Cataloging & Documentation

The museum documents the artifact, photographs it, assigns a museum number when appropriate, and cares for it according to its collections practices.

Submitting an offer does not obligate either the owner or the museum to complete a donation.

Before Offering an Artifact

Before submitting an offer, gather whatever you know about the artifact:

Photographs · Maker/markings · Approximate date · Dimensions · Condition · Where it came from · Who owned or used it · Packaging/documentation · Any story associated with it

Don't worry if you don't know everything. Unknowns are part of museum research, too.

Important Information About Artifact Donations

Acceptance Is Not Automatic

The museum evaluates every offer according to its mission, collecting priorities, documentation, condition, available resources, and potential duplication within the collection.

Please Wait for Approval

We cannot accept unsolicited shipments or drop-offs. We will provide shipping or delivery instructions only after we review and approve an offer.

Ownership Must Be Clear

The person offering an artifact must own it legally or have documented authority to transfer it.

Accepted Gifts Become Museum Property

Once an artifact is formally accepted and ownership is transferred, it becomes the property of The American Rubber Duck Museum and may be cataloged, researched, photographed, exhibited, stored, loaned, or otherwise managed under museum policies.

Exhibition Is Not Guaranteed

Acceptance into the collection does not guarantee that an artifact will be placed on public display. The Museum may use artifacts for research, education, digital interpretation, loans, or future exhibitions, subject to museum policy and available resources.

The Museum Does Not Provide Appraisals

The Museum cannot determine or authenticate an artifact’s monetary value. Owners who need an appraisal should consult an independent qualified appraiser before completing a transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my duck need to be rare?

No. History, documentation, cultural relevance, and personal stories can be as important as rarity.

Do you accept used ducks?

Yes. Wear, fading, repairs, and signs of use may be part of an artifact’s history. Please disclose condition concerns and do not clean it before review.

Will my artifact be displayed?

Not necessarily. Exhibition depends on future themes, research, condition, space, and interpretive needs.

Can I mail it immediately?

No. Please submit an offer and wait for written acceptance and shipping instructions.

Who pays shipping?

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the person offering the artifact is responsible for packing and shipping costs. The museum will provide instructions after acceptance.

Can I take it back later?

A completed permanent gift transfers ownership to the museum and generally cannot be reclaimed. Review the gift agreement carefully before signing.

Can you tell me what it is worth?

The museum may research an artifact’s history but does not provide monetary appraisals.

Can I donate only photographs or information?

Yes. Digital photographs, scanned documents, memories, research leads, and oral histories can make meaningful contributions even when the original object remains with its owner.

Tax Notice

The American Rubber Duck Museum is currently a developing museum operated by The American Rubber Duck Museum LLC. Currently, donations to the museum are not tax-deductible charitable contributions. The museum does not provide monetary appraisals or tax advice. Donors are responsible for obtaining independent professional guidance regarding valuation or potential tax consequences.

Honoring the People Behind the Artifacts

When someone contributes an artifact, they often contribute something equally important: its story.

Whenever possible, the museum records the people, families, companies, places, and memories connected with donated material so that provenance is preserved alongside the object itself.

Donors may also request that their contribution remain private.

Recognition does not determine whether or how an artifact will be displayed.

Friends of the Flock

Donors help build the museum’s collection and become part of its history.

With permission, donors may be recognized through our Friends of the Flock program.

Recognition Levels

Duckling
Mallard
Golden Duck
Legendary Quacker

Recognition may include the donor’s name, donation level, date joined, and a personalized Friends of the Flock display.

Donors may also choose to remain anonymous.

MEET THE FRIENDS OF THE FLOCK

Not Ready to Donate?

You can still participate. Let us document it. If you aren't ready to part with an artifact, photographs and its history may still help the museum's research.

Use the form to:

Share your duck’s story
Submit photographs
Introduce us to a unique or unusual duck
Express interest in donating later
Request museum updates
Learn about future exhibits and events

Your duck can become part of the museum’s story even before it physically joins the collection. You can still help preserve its history.

Ready to Offer an Artifact?

Think something in your collection belongs in the museum's story?

Start by completing the Artifact Offer Form. Tell us what you know, include photographs if possible, and share any history connected with the object. You don't need to have every answer—the museum can help investigate the rest.

Please wait for confirmation before mailing or delivering any artifact.

Offer an Artifact

Ask a Question First

Every Duck Has A Story.

Sometimes preserving that story begins with someone deciding to share it.