The museum has a mission to collect and preserve artifacts, electrical and mechanical in nature, that were invented or built from the 1750s through to the end of the 1950s.
The museum accepts donated artifacts that meet these criteria for inclusion in the collection.

The MOAH collection is housed in a remote warehouse and is seldom open to the public.
Categories typical to the collection include: sewing machines, mechanical typewriters, cameras, radios and televisions, clocks, toys, adding machines and mechanical calculators, and kitchen appliances.
There are over 5,000 accessioned artifacts in the collection and many more that are display items, extras, or permanent loan items.
It is reported to be one of the largest collections of its kind in the United States.

Items from the collection are used for MOAH permanent and rotating exhibits.
Other museums and institutions are able to borrow items from the MOAH collection for their exhibits or other displays.
Organizations that have borrowed exhibit materials from MOAH include the San Francisco International Airport museum, the Los Altos History Museum, San Jose State University theater department, and the Stanford Federal Credit union.

The museum collection database is currently only accessible during public hours at the main museum location in Palo Alto.
The museum has a mission to collect and preserve artifacts, electrical and mechanical in nature, that were invented or built from the 1750s through to the end of the 1950s. The museum accepts donated artifacts that meet these criteria for inclusion in the collection.
The MOAH collection is housed in a remote warehouse and is seldom open to the public. Categories typical to the collection include: sewing machines, mechanical typewriters, cameras, radios and televisions, clocks, toys, adding machines and mechanical calculators, and kitchen appliances. There are over 5,000 accessioned artifacts in the collection and many more that are display items, extras, or permanent loan items. It is reported to be one of the largest collections of its kind in the United States.
Items from the collection are used for MOAH permanent and rotating exhibits. Other museums and institutions are able to borrow items from the MOAH collection for their exhibits or other displays. Organizations that have borrowed exhibit materials from MOAH include the San Francisco International Airport museum, the Los Altos History Museum, San Jose State University theater department, and the Stanford Federal Credit union.
The museum collection database is currently only accessible during public hours at the main museum location in Palo Alto.
Museum of American Heritage