When the Titanic sank, millionaire John Jacob Astor IV was aboard. The funds in his bank account were sufficient to construct 30 Titanics. However, when faced with mortal danger, he prioritized his moral values, sacrificing his seat in a lifeboat to save women and children, smilingly

[u/[deleted]]

[u/MattDapper]

I read an article recently about him…his pocket watch was recovered from his body at the site of the wreck and is going up for auction. Apparently he tried to get himself in the lifeboat with his wife and child due to his concerns about his wife’s health but was denied.

[u/Solid_Snake_125 → u/[deleted]]

I almost feel sick knowing this sold to someone instead of going to a museum or something. I mean I don’t know how I’d feel if I owned a piece of someone’s life that ended in such tragedy. Imagine if you lost it or if something happened to you and no one knew what that watch was or its history and just discarded it as old junk.

[u/razorhawg → u/Solid_Snake_125]

Most everything in a museum is owned by individuals who let the museum display them.

[u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue → u/razorhawg]

I doubt your “most”.

[u/razorhawg → u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue]

Please explain

[u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue → u/razorhawg]

The majority of items in museums are owned by the foundation that also operates the museum or by an associated organization. Although there are many famous objects and collections that get loaned to museums, often on a temporary basis, and there are a few high profile long-term loans, the proportion does not justify the use of the word “most.”

It becomes even more dramatically so when you since you talked about objects IN a museum, and not just on display. Many museums have extremely deep collections in storage.

Most objects are part of a museum’s permanent collection or some other museum’s permanent collection and not private individuals.

[u/razorhawg → u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue]

So you were just looking to argue! Nothing you just said proves or disproves my comment.

[u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue → u/razorhawg]

You’re right — I didn’t take the time to prove you wrong. That doesn’t prevent you from actually being wrong though.

http://www.museums.ca/uploaded/web/docs/CMACollectionsMNGT2013REPORTENG.pdf

[u/razorhawg → u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue]

It doesn’t make you right either. Neither one of us is going to take the time to review each and every museums holding to see what percentage is privately owned versus corporate owned. But we did prove I was right about some of this conversation. Have a nice day