radio artifacts on display at the Pavek Museum

The Pavek Museum is not currently accepting donations.

Please do not mail items to the Pavek Museum or drop off items without prior approval of the Collections Manager.

Artifact Donation FAQ

The Pavek Museum collects items related to electronic communication technologies, including telegraphs, telephones, radios, televisions, and computers.

The Pavek Museum collects:

  • Artifacts and objects
  • Books
  • Letters, brochures, and pamphlets
  • Photographs

Take a look at the acquisition list below. These are items the Pavek Museum is actively seeking, and we would appreciate your help locating them.

The Pavek Museum does not accept:

  • Items without relevant connections to the history of electronic communication.
  • Items the Museum already holds an example of in its collection.
  • Significantly damaged items.
  • Items containing mold, insect infestations, or waste products.
  • Heavily stained items.
  • Items containing hazardous materials, including toxic chemicals or radioactive materials.
  • Items that require excessive special handling or are defective and potentially deadly.
  • Items obtained illegally: fake, forged, or counterfeit items; stolen items; items that may have been pillaged during armed conflict or war; items prohibited or protected under National or State statutes.
  • Large donations that are beyond the Museum's ability to preserve and store.
  • Recordings, books, or other media content that was mass-published and easily available to the public through ordinary means.

Please email Collections Manager Kallie Zieman or Curator Felipe Eguiarte with a description and photos of the item. You may also call the Pavek Museum at 952-926-8198 and dial extension #105 for Kallie Zieman or extension #109 for Felipe Eguiarte. The more information you provide about the object, the quicker we'll be able to make a decision.

The Pavek Museum is not currently accepting donations. We thank you for your patience and will update this page when we are ready to resume the acceptance of new items.

Acquisition List

The Acquisition List includes items the Pavek Museum seeks to add to its collection. If you own an object on this list and are interested in donating or loaning it to the Pavek Museum, please email Collections Manager Kallie Zieman or Curator Felipe Eguiarte with a description and photos of the item. You may also call the Pavek Museum at 952-926-8198 and dial extension #105 for Kallie Zieman or extension #109 for Felipe Eguiarte.

  • 1850s and 1860s telegraph equipment
  • Dial or needle telegraph (European style)

  • Pre-1900s era desk phones
  • Bell's Centennial Model (authentic or replica)
  • Liquid telephone (authentic or replica)
  • Butterstamp telephone
  • Blake telephone
  • IBM Simon

  • Marconi/Pre-WWI era equipment
  • Pre-WWII FM table radio
  • Sparton Bluebird, Nocturne, or Sled radio
  • Pre-WWII Ham Gear/1930s Breting

  • Mechanical Scanning Disk TV (complete original or functional replica)
  • RCA CT-100 (functional)
  • RCA TT-5
  • Baird TV

  • Apple I
  • Apple III
  • Apple Lisa
  • Apple Macintosh
  • Apple PowerBook 100

  • Pre-1920 vacuum tubes (including a De Forest Tubular Audion or experimental tubes).

  • Enigma Machine (Authentic or Replica)