Museum treasures
Sloane's 'Vegetable and Vegetable Substances'. An assortment of 12,523 fruits, seeds, pots of aromatic gums and other items of plant origin.
The treasures of the Natural History Museum's collections are available for loan - things of scientific value, beauty, rarity, historical significance, curiosity, or local interest.
With a total of around 70 million specimens of minerals, fossils, plants and animals, it is only possible to show a small proportion of the collection to the public in our own galleries. We want to share our collection with a larger number of people by encouraging museums and other venues to borrow from us for exhibition.
The Natural History Museum has one of the world's finest collections of natural history objects. The collection has a history of more than 250 years, and includes specimens from all over the world, ranging from beetles to plankton, from flowers to dinosaurs. It is actively developed and used in research by Museum and visiting scientists in finding out more about the natural world
From this page are links to information on some of our treasures. The items listed are only a small selection of all that the Museum has - please contact us if you want to discuss a particular loan requirement.
In making loans, we need to know what display environment and security are to be provided for the specimens, and to discuss arrangements and costs for transport and insurance. These considerations will depend very much on the nature of the specimen.
- Botany treasures
- Entomology treasures
- Mineralogy treasures
- Palaeontology treasures
- Zoology treasures
- Library treasures
For further discussion, please contact:
John Jackson
Science Policy Co-ordinator
Science Directorate
The Natural History Museum
London
SW7 5BD