Collection Policy

Purpose of the Collection

The Upchurch Collection of Magic preserves objects, documents, images, and other historical materials that help tell the story of the magical arts.

The Collection focuses on the people, performances, techniques, institutions, objects, and cultural traditions that have shaped magic from the nineteenth century to the present.

Its goals are to preserve historically significant material, document provenance where possible, support research and education, and make selected objects and stories accessible through exhibitions, publications, and magic.museum.

Collecting Scope

The Collection acquires materials that contribute meaningfully to the history, practice, or cultural understanding of magic.

Priority may be given to objects with:

• Clear historical significance
• Direct association with a notable magician, performer, creator, organization, or event
• Strong or documentable provenance
• Unusual research or exhibition value
• Relevance to an underrepresented person, period, performance tradition, or aspect of magic history
• A meaningful connection to other materials already held by the Collection

The Collection is not limited to famous performers. Material associated with lesser-known magicians, regional performers, manufacturers, clubs, historians, writers, collectors, and other figures may also be important when it helps document the broader history of the magical arts.

What We Collect

The Collection may acquire materials including, but not limited to:

• Performance-used props, apparatus, gimmicks, and illusion components
• Commercially manufactured magic apparatus with historical significance
• Personal objects associated with magicians and performers
• Posters, broadsides, handbills, programs, tickets, and advertising material
• Signed photographs, autographs, inscriptions, and presentation items
• Letters, correspondence, manuscripts, notebooks, and personal papers
• Books, catalogs, periodicals, instructional material, and rare publications
• Costumes, wardrobe pieces, and performance accessories
• Photographs, negatives, slides, and other visual materials
• Audio, film, video, and other recordings
• Convention materials and records of magic organizations, clubs, and societies
• Dealer catalogs, manufacturer records, and material documenting the magic industry
• Scrapbooks, archives, and collections assembled by magicians or collectors
• Awards, certificates, credentials, membership material, and commemorative objects
• Ephemera documenting performances, tours, venues, lectures, and events

The Collection may also acquire materials outside these categories when they have a strong relationship to the history or preservation of magic.

Acquisition Methods

Materials may enter the Collection through:

• Donation
• Gift
• Bequest
• Purchase
• Private acquisition
• Auction acquisition
• Direct acquisition from a performer, family member, estate, collector, dealer, or organization
• Long-term loan or temporary loan when appropriate

Acceptance of an item into the Collection is not automatic.

Potential acquisitions are reviewed based on their historical significance, provenance, authenticity, condition, duplication within the Collection, storage requirements, legal ownership, and relevance to the Collection's mission.

The Collection reserves the right to decline any offered material.

Donations and Gifts

Prospective donors are encouraged to contact the Collection before shipping or delivering material.

Please provide, when available:

• A description of the item or group of materials
• The magician, performer, organization, or event associated with it
• Photographs
• Ownership history
• Information about how and when the material was acquired
• Supporting correspondence, receipts, certificates, or other documentation

Submission of information does not obligate the Collection to accept an item.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, accepted donations become the property of The Upchurch Collection of Magic and may be cataloged, photographed, researched, displayed, stored, reproduced, or otherwise used in furtherance of the Collection's historical and educational purposes.

Any special restrictions must be agreed to in writing before transfer.

Purchases and Private Acquisitions

The Collection may acquire material from private sellers, dealers, auction houses, estates, collectors, performers, or other sources.

Price alone does not determine whether an object should be acquired. Historical significance, provenance, authenticity, condition, uniqueness, and relevance to the Collection are also considered.

The Collection may decline an acquisition when the available documentation is insufficient or when ownership, authenticity, attribution, or provenance cannot be reasonably established.

Provenance and Documentation

Provenance is an important part of an artifact's historical value.

Whenever possible, the Collection seeks to document:

• Previous ownership
• Direct association with a performer or subject
• Acquisition history
• Auction or dealer records
• Letters or statements of provenance
• Certificates of authenticity
• Photographs establishing use or ownership
• Published references
• Estate or family history
• Other documentation supporting attribution

Incomplete provenance does not automatically prevent acquisition.

Some historically significant material survives without a complete chain of ownership. When provenance is incomplete, uncertain, attributed, or still under research, the catalog record should reflect that uncertainty rather than present an unsupported conclusion as fact.

Authenticity and Attribution

The Collection seeks to distinguish between documented facts, reasonable attribution, and unverified claims.

An object's presence in the Collection does not by itself constitute independent authentication.

Where questions of authorship, ownership, performance use, signature authenticity, or attribution remain unresolved, the Collection may describe the object using qualified language and continue research as additional evidence becomes available.

Catalog records may be revised when new documentation or research changes what is known about an object.

Condition and Conservation

The Collection may acquire objects in a wide range of physical conditions when their historical value justifies preservation.

Condition is considered during acquisition, but age, wear, alteration, repair, and evidence of use may themselves form part of an object's history.

The Collection generally favors preservation of original material and historical evidence over unnecessary restoration.

Conservation or restoration may be considered when necessary to stabilize an object, prevent further deterioration, permit safe handling, or support exhibition.

Loans to the Collection

The Collection may accept temporary or long-term loans when doing so supports research, documentation, exhibition, or preservation.

Loan terms should be documented in writing and may address:

• Duration
• Insurance
• Photography
• Reproduction
• Display
• Handling
• Transportation
• Storage
• Return arrangements
• Other applicable restrictions

A loan does not transfer ownership unless a separate written agreement provides otherwise.

Loans to Other Institutions

The Collection may consider lending appropriate materials to established museums, libraries, archives, universities, cultural institutions, exhibitions, or other qualified organizations.

Approval may depend on:

• The condition and significance of the object
• Exhibition purpose
• Security
• Insurance
• Transportation arrangements
• Environmental controls
• Display conditions
• Handling procedures
• Duration of the loan

The Collection reserves the right to decline any loan request.

Deaccessioning

Deaccessioning is the formal removal of an object from the Collection and is expected to occur only when there is a legitimate collection-management reason.

Possible reasons may include:

• The object falls outside the Collection's scope
• It is a duplicate with little additional research or exhibition value
• Ownership or legal title cannot be satisfactorily established
• The object presents an unreasonable safety or conservation burden
• The item is determined to be misidentified, inauthentic, or materially different from its original attribution
• Another institution is better positioned to preserve or interpret the material
• Removal would materially improve the long-term quality or focus of the Collection

When practical and appropriate, deaccessioned material may be:

• Transferred to another collection or institution
• Exchanged
• Returned when a valid prior agreement requires it
• Sold
• Otherwise disposed of responsibly

Any proceeds from the sale of deaccessioned collection material should be directed toward acquisitions, preservation, conservation, research, or other collection-related purposes rather than treated as ordinary operating income.

Deaccessioning decisions should be documented in the Collection's records.

Donor Restrictions

The Collection prefers unrestricted gifts because permanent restrictions can make future preservation, research, exhibition, storage, or collection management difficult.

Proposed restrictions will be considered individually.

No restriction should be considered binding unless it has been accepted by the Collection in writing before the transfer of ownership.

Sensitive and Restricted Material

Certain materials may require restricted access because of:

• Privacy concerns
• Confidential correspondence
• Personal information
• Copyright or contractual restrictions
• Donor or lender agreements
• Security concerns
• Unpublished research
• Proprietary magical methods or secrets

Ownership by the Collection does not necessarily mean that every part of an artifact, archive, or associated documentation will be made publicly available.

Cataloging and Public Access

Not every object in the Collection will immediately appear on magic.museum.

Materials may remain unpublished while they are:

• Being cataloged
• Researched
• Photographed
• Authenticated
• Conserved
• Reviewed for rights or privacy concerns

Public catalog information may be revised as research continues.

The website represents selected public records rather than a complete inventory of all Collection holdings.

Tax Status and Appraisals

The Upchurch Collection of Magic is privately operated and is not currently a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Contributions are therefore not currently represented as tax-deductible charitable donations.

The Collection does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice and does not assign values for a donor's tax purposes.

Donors and sellers should consult their own qualified advisors regarding valuation, tax treatment, or other legal and financial questions.

Policy Review

This policy may be revised as the Collection grows, its facilities change, or new preservation, research, exhibition, and acquisition needs develop.

Updates will be reflected on this page.

Contact

Questions regarding donations, acquisitions, loans, provenance, or the Collection's collecting scope may be submitted through the Contribute or Contact pages.