Dave's comments are good to bear in mind, particularly if you're primarily concerned about who pays when damage occurs.  However, according to a 2005 workshop on art handling and packing presented by Merv Richard, the greatest threat in shipping any museum object is the time it's handled by non-museum personnel.  So, if your primary concern is to minimize damage occurring, statistically, you are better off moving the pieces yourself.

Last year, we moved a collection of 20,000+ artefacts across town; for about 70 of them (the pianos, and other big, heavy pieces that we didn't have the manpower or equipment to move) we hired movers--we had three pieces damaged during the move, and all three were pieces that the movers handled.  However, we were moving all our own material, and were prepared to take the risks, knowing the owner (our own institution) wouldn't sue us if pieces were damaged.  Not so sure how we would have proceeded if we were moving collections owned by another...although I personally have done that successfully as well (not that I'd particularly recommend it--the most harrowing half hour I've had behind a steering wheel was in returning about two dozen Franz Johnstons to their owner!)



------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History
Esplanade Museum
401 First Street SE
Medicine Hat, AB   T1A 8W2
Tel: (403) 502-8587
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