Engraved souvenirs for museum and historic-site gift shops
A museum or historic-site shop sells a story, and its buyers care about accuracy more than volume. A drawing of the wrong building is worse than no drawing. This page is for the people who run shops at museums, heritage sites, battlefields, libraries and archives, and it is built from the way a county parks department that runs shops at historic sites actually bought from us.
One building, one design, and it has to be your building
A county parks department that runs gift stores at historic sites set the rule for its order: each landmark gets its own design, sold in that site's own shop, and no collage of several landmarks on one cup. Its five sites included a historic state building, a Civil War battle park, a nature reserve and two Christmas events. The buyer asked whether the art would match the real building down to the windows, the cupola and the chimney, and rejected an early drawing that showed the wrong building. Send photos of your building and the proof is drawn from them, and one revision is included. Custom artwork is a $35 setup, and an institution's own logo, seal or collection image goes on a piece only with the rights holder's written okay.
Catalog designs for museum and heritage shelves
Real catalog numbers from the Museums & Heritage Sites chapter, which has 54 designs in all.
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W-163 Natural History Specimen Cabinet
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W-164 Quilt Trail Sampler Band
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W-200 Blacksmith Forge Bench Wrap
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W-206 Hand Bookbindery Bench Wrap
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B-202 Clockworks Movement
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B-203 Telegraph Key and Sounder
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B-228 Archives Ledger and Quill
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N-083 Letterpress Heritage Plate
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N-086 Covered Bridge - Historic Crossing
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N-134 Founding Date Cartouche
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N-135 Fossil Record Strata Plate
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M-105 Fossil Record - Layers of Time
Full wraps
W-163 Natural History Specimen Cabinet, W-164 Quilt Trail Sampler Band, W-165 Heritage Craft Tool Wall, W-166 Apothecary Shelf, W-167 Homespun Loom and Spindle, W-200 Blacksmith Forge Bench Wrap, W-206 Hand Bookbindery Bench Wrap.
Classic Badge
B-091 Blacksmith - Forged by Hand, B-175 Maritime Heritage - Sextant Banner, B-202 Clockworks Movement, B-203 Telegraph Key and Sounder, B-222 Letterpress Composing Stick, B-228 Archives Ledger and Quill.
Ornaments and magnets
N-083 Letterpress Heritage Plate, N-086 Covered Bridge - Historic Crossing, N-134 Founding Date Cartouche, N-135 Fossil Record Strata Plate, N-136 Millstone and Grist, N-137 Quilt Trail Sawtooth Star, N-138 Fresnel Lens - First Lit, N-139 Craftsman's Hand Tools, M-103 Founding Date Cartouche Magnet, M-105 Fossil Record - Layers of Time.
See every design, with photos, on the phone-friendly catalog.
Craft and story designs that work as a template
For shops that sell the story of how things were made, the catalog has designs that tell craft and heritage stories without naming any institution: a blacksmith, a bookbindery, a quilt trail, a letterpress, a telegraph office, a clockworks, fossil layers. They are templates, so the number can ship with your site name in the free name band, or they can start a conversation about custom artwork for your own building. We do not publish stock art for a named museum, because the shop's own building is what its guests want.
A founding-date design is the easiest yearly collectible. N-134 Founding Date Cartouche and its magnet twin M-103 leave a blank band for the institution name and the year it was founded.
How county, city and nonprofit buyers pay
The county buyer asked whether we could invoice its accounts payable on Net 30 and what it would need to supply: a PO number and a tax-exempt certificate. We did, and it was placed as a Net 30 order, with the invoice due 30 days from the invoice date. Net 30 is available to institutions. Send your vendor form and we complete our part. The same buyer asked to test a small mix across designs and colors before committing, and that is how the order started: 28 tumblers in five designs, 4 to 8 per design, in White, Warm Sand and Sage Green.
Hang tags and barcodes for the register
If your shop scans items, we can pre-ticket the order: a Code 128 barcode, the SKU, the design name and your retail price on every piece, plus a spreadsheet your point-of-sale system can import. If you already have UPC numbers, send them and we print yours. Pre-ticketing is optional; ask for the per-piece price when you quote. The details are in our pre-ticketing article.
Timing for school groups and holiday weeks
Plan from your own calendar. The county site shop above opened its Christmas store the Saturday after Thanksgiving and ordered about two weeks earlier. Production is 5 to 10 business days after proof approval, and a custom building concept takes five business days with one revision included, so for a holiday or school-group season, start the art conversation at least a month before you need boxes.
Ordering terms in brief
Production is 5 to 10 business days after proof approval. Minimums are 4 per design on drinkware and 6 per design on ornaments and magnets, with designs and colors mixed freely. The opening order is $300 and reorders are $125. Catalog name swaps are free; custom artwork is a $35 setup with one revision included, and nothing is engraved until you approve the proof. Opening orders are prepaid by card, ACH or check; Net 30 is available to approved repeat accounts and to institutions. Shipping is UPS Ground at cost from Prattville, Alabama, or your own carrier account. The full details are in the wholesale terms article.
Buyer FAQ
- Can each site or building have its own design?
- Yes. A county parks department ordered one design per landmark, each sold in that landmark's own shop. Send photos of the building and the drawing is built from them, with one revision included.
- Will the art match our real building?
- It is drawn from your photos and you approve the proof before anything is engraved. One buyer rejected a drawing of the wrong building, so we check windows, rooflines and details against your photos.
- Can a county or city shop pay on Net 30?
- Net 30 is available to institutions and government buyers. Put your PO number and tax-exempt certificate on the order. A W-9 is available on request.
- Can we use our logo, seal or a collection image?
- Only with the rights holder's written okay. We do not put protected marks or collection images on a piece without it.
- Can you ticket the order with barcodes and retail prices?
- Yes, as an option. Each piece carries a Code 128 barcode, SKU, design name and your retail price, with a point-of-sale import file. Send your own UPC numbers if you prefer them.
- Where are the pieces made?
- Every piece is engraved in our shop in Prattville, Alabama. The drinkware and birch blanks are imported, so we say Engraved in Alabama and nothing broader. Wood Unlimited is veteran-owned.
Related wholesale guides
Ask for a quote
Tell us the design numbers, the colors and how many you need. Email wholesale@woodunlimited.org or call Louie Hartley at (334) 310-4506 and you will get a written quote and invoice. You can also go back to the wholesale program overview for the line sheet request form.
Wood Unlimited is a brand of Signature Craft LLC. Veteran-owned. Engraved in Alabama. 12,000+ Verified Reviews · 4.97 Average.
