Portsmouth Museums Service offers a free object identification service based at Portsmouth Museum, Museum Road, Portsmouth.

Got something historical and what to know what it is?

If you have found something in the attic or while digging in the garden and you want to know what it is please contact us via the 'Enquiries' page on this website.

Please contact us in advance before bringing the object to the museum. Without prior warning, staff are not always available to deal with enquiries.

What happens next?

We might be able to answer your questions over the phone if not we will book you into to see us.  We might need to keep your object for a while to conduct research.  If this happens we will give you a receipt that we call an Entry Form, to make sure that we have correctly noted your details and anything relevant about the object.

Within four months we should have identified your object if we can and you will be contacted.  We cannot hold objects on Entry Forms for longer than this.  If they are not collected after this time and we have reminded you - we will be forced to dispose of them. 

How much is it worth?

Sorry, we can only identify an object and tell you of its historical significance.

As local government officials we cannot give financial valuations or recommend businesses in the antiques trade.  We can however tell you where to look for publicly available listings of such businesses should you need them.

What about my personal information?

All personal information given will be restricted to our use under the Data Protection Act 1998.