Philadelphia Museum Seeks to Undo Donor’s Request

Under financial pressure, the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia, is seeking court permission to sell a valuable collection of gems, minerals, and rocks, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Facing staff cuts and deficits, the academy has already won court permission to sell 8,000 pieces that are not currently on display and received several million dollars for the items, the newspaper said. The money from the sale will go into the museum’s endowment.

The museum has 7,000 more items it wants to sell, but those are part of a collection given by a donor who specifically requested that his donation never be broken up and sold to different people or organizations. The museum hopes a court will overturn that requirement, given the institution’s financial problems.

However, geologists, staff members, and relatives of the donor who gave the collection have criticized the museum for not making more effort to keep the collection intact.