Own A Bit of History Sale
The Manhattan Beach Historical Society hosted an “Own A Bit Of History Sale” as a fundraising event on Saturday, October 12, 2024.
Items for sale included Metlox pottery, furniture from the Historic Red House in Polliwog Park, posters from local events, photo reproductions, and more. Members were invited to early access, and non-Members were invited to join or to come at 11:30.
It was a HUGE success and we thank everyone for their support. Please consider joining so you don't miss out any events in the future!
Background & Information
Beginning in 2022, the City of Manhattan Beach hired professional archivists from History Associates Incorporated (HAI) to inventory and catalog our collection – something that hadn’t been done since 1993. The team sorted through every item – more than 1,000 documents, photographs, assorted ephemera and additional artifacts – and categorized each one, separating items into an Historical Collection and non-Historical Collection. Historical Collection items are part of the City’s permanent archival collection, with each one has been given a numeric identifier and stored properly and safely.
Non-Historical Collection materials have been further categorized into educational items and items that HAI recommends for deaccession. The deaccession items include object duplicates – mostly photographic reprints, Metlox dinnerware, posters and books – and items determined to be out of the geographic scope of our collection.
Where possible, we have tried to reach out to the original donors to see if they would like these items returned. We have also attempted to donate materials that might be better suited in other historical societies or educational institutions. Those that remain will be for sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT DOES HAI KNOW ABOUT MANHATTAN BEACH HISTORY? WHY ARE THEY DECIDING WHAT IS PART OF THE MBHS HISTORICAL COLLECTION?
HAI is a professional agency of trained archivists who are skilled at protecting historic materials. They have worked diligently to organize our collection and also crafted a Collection Policy that was agreed to by the Historical Society and Parks and Recreation and was approved by City Council. There's a link below to that document. The Board of MBHS has reviewed items recommended for deaccession. Items we feel are valuable and important to Manhattan Beach History have been retained and will be a part of the educational collection of MBHS. Items that the Board feels should belong in the Historical Collection will be reviewed by the newly formed Historical Collection Committee (HCC), as suggested by HAI. It is comprised of the following individuals: Parks and Recreation director or designee, Archivist, two (2) board members of the Manhattan Beach Historical Society, one (1) member of the Cultural Arts Commission. All new donations will be presented to the HCC who will vote on whether it should be added to the Historical Collection or not. Some items may not belong in the Historical Collection, but they may be part of the MBHS Educational Collection. Some items may be returned to the donor with our gratitude and appreciation.
WHY DON’T YOU JUST HOLD ONTO EVERYTHING?
In short, we don’t have the space. Currently, the Manhattan Beach Historical Collection and Educational Collection are stored in the following places: 1. The Cottage in Polliwog Park 2. A trailer adjacent to the cottage 3.The Art Center across Manhattan Beach Blvd. 4.The old restrooms in Polliwog Park 5.A room in the Metlox parking garage The cottage will be used as a museum, open to the public, and there is not enough room to store the ever-growing collection. The trailer has provided safe, climate-controlled temporary storage, but it is not a permanent structure that is suitable for the long-term. Our use of the Art Center across the street from the Cottage takes away much-needed space from the Art Programs hosted by the Cultural Arts Department. The Historical Society is grateful they have made the space to temporarily store some items, but again, this is not a viable long-term solution. The old restrooms in Polliwog Park currently only hold large items like easels, an old ice box and an organ (the latter two will be for sale at this event). It is not climate-controlled, and it is not suitable for document storage because it is susceptible to bugs, vermin, and moisture. The storage room at Metlox was also meant to be a temporary holding space and was graciously provided to us by the City. Unfortunately, in the first five months that materials were put there, the garage space has had two water leaks that destroyed several papers, books, and ephemera. These items were predominantly labelled Non-Collection materials, but did include many boxes of MBHS books that are a major income source for the Society. There was another leak just after Labor Day of this year to further emphasize the need for better long-term storage.
WHAT IS THE MBHS "EDUCATIONAL COLLECTION"?
These are items that HAI does not feel require archival storage, but that are still important for MBHS to have for research and displays. For example: There are multiple copies of a 1960 phone directory for Manhattan Beach. The most pristine version is kept in the Historical Collection for permanent posterity; an additional copy is in the educational collection for reference and research.
WHY NOT RETURN THE ITEMS TO THE ORIGINAL DONORS?
We have tried to contact the original donors, but unfortunately, some donors have passed away and some items were never given a proper “Deed of Gift”. If there is something you donated to the Historical Society and are concerned will be sold, please let us know.
WHY WOULD YOU SELL REPRODUCTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS IF YOU’RE JUST GOING TO REPRODUCE THEM AGAIN TO PUT ON DISPLAY?
Retaining a vast number of photo reproductions requires space that we simply do not have. Some of the reprints are large-scale and the cost of storing them properly is more than what it would cost to reproduce them as needed. As we create new displays for the cottage, the goal is to create a streamlined look for our displays – including how they’re actually put on display. Innovations in digital printing make it possible to create fresh, detailed reprints that will make for more engaging presentations and visibility.
WHY ARE YOU SELLING THE FURNITURE IN THE COTTAGE?
The Board of the Manhattan Beach Historical Society has decided to follow the advice of HAI and the City to update the displays inside the Historic Red Cottage in Polliwog Park -- this includes removing most of the furniture that currently exists such as a desk, large and small dining tables, glass display cases and rugs. This will create more space for more displays to share more history with the community and beyond. Once we have removed these items and secured the archival objects, the City is going to replace the roof and then perform necessary and long overdue repairs to the interior of the cottage. It will also be cleaned and repainted.
WHAT EXACTLY WILL YOU BE SELLING?
In the coming weeks, HAI is going to be properly storing items that are part of the Historical Collection in anticipation of the work being done on the cottage. Once that is complete, we'll be setting up for the sale and photographing some of the items that will be available. Please check out Instagram and Facebook for updates. (Those links are at the bottom of the page.)
Should you have additional questions, please feel free to email us at historian@manhattanbeachhistorical.com.