Tim,

I suggest that the collection might be of interest to a major open air
museum in the Rhineland, which has a wonderful collection of toys in its own
right.  Probably not a solution that you may wish but maybe the collection
could at least be kept together. Contact me off the list for the contact
director and address.

Roger
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-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Saward <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, 27 April 1999 15:41
Subject: Closed forever? London Toy & Model Museum


>The London Toy & Model Museum was open for seventeen years
>in a small building in Bayswater, London.
>
>In February this year the museum closed - not because it
>wasn't popular, or was failing to make money, but simply
>because the owning company were forced to sell because of
>their own financial difficulties.
>
>Since then a number of buyers have expressed an interest in
>acquiring either the museum or its collection as a way of
>rescuing the 7,500 objects from passing into private hands,
>never to be seen again. Some of the offers made haven't been
>enough. Some of them have been turned down by the owning
>company - which seems to feel it can make more out of a
>selling the collection and building separately.
>
>I worked as the Museum's Education Officer for two and a
>half years, and it has broken my heart to see our hopes of
>keeping the museum alive disappearing one by one - sometimes
>for legitimate reasons, and sometimes quite frankly for
>spurious ones. I continue to work at the museum, gradually
>packaging up the objects in preparation for an auction.
>
>If anyone reading this knows of someone who may be able to
>rescue the museum, or who may be able to keep its exhibits
>in the public eye in the future, please let them know.
>
>You can e-mail the museum on [log in to unmask]
>
>
>Tim Saward
>____________________________________________
>