Mini Museum
Mini Museum is a Fairfax, Virginia-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce company founded in 2014 that curates, authenticates, and sells genuine fossils, meteorites, space artifacts, and historical memorabilia through its Shopify storefront, with occasional Kickstarter limited-edition drops and licensed entertainment partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersFairfax, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mini Museum does
Mini Museum, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, is a private direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that curates, authenticates, and sells genuine scientific specimens and historical artifacts through its Shopify storefront at shop.minimuseum.com. Its product portfolio spans fossils (T. Rex and Triceratops bones, dinosaur teeth, Megalodon teeth, K-Pg boundary material), meteorites (Muonionalusta, Campo del Cielo, lunar meteorites), space exploration artifacts (Apollo 11 Command Module foil, flown Space Shuttle tiles from Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, SR-71 Blackbird fragments, Amelia Earhart's Vega 5B materials), historical memorabilia (Titanic coal, Berlin Wall fragments, Walt Disney Disneyland carpet, The Beatles Cavern Club brick, Dracula Castle soil), and jewelry derived from meteorites and fossils. The flagship Mini Museum line packages authenticated specimens in Lucite acrylic display cases across multiple editions (Third, Fourth, Fifth, Age of Dinosaurs), each accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and priced from $149 to $499, while individual specimens range from $10 display cards to $22,499 premium fossils.
The company monetizes through one-time direct product sales across a broad price ladder, supplemented by a wholesale and corporate gifting program, periodic Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns for limited-edition collections, and an emerging licensing model exemplified by its April 2026 partnership with AMC Networks for The Walking Dead Mini Museum. Customer segments include individual collectors and science/history enthusiasts (primary), gift buyers, and educational institutions. The business operates globally via online channels, with content marketing through the Mini Museum Library blog, an email newsletter, SEO-driven organic search, and customer reviews serving as primary demand-generation channels. Mini Museum is organized as Mini Museum LLC with a 1-10 employee headcount and has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external venture backing.
Mini Museum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mini Museum
- Legal name
- Mini Museum LLC
- Website
- https://minimuseum.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mini Museum is a Fairfax, Virginia-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce company founded in 2014 that curates, authenticates, and sells genuine fossils, meteorites, space artifacts, and historical memorabilia through its Shopify storefront, with occasional Kickstarter limited-edition drops and licensed entertainment partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mini Museum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collectible Specimens and Natural History Memorabilia
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)
- SIC
- Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Miniatures & Figurines (Display/Collectible) (CRALAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG), Vintage & Antique Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAE)
Keywords
Where Mini Museum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fairfax
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Mini Museum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: Mini Museum generates revenue through direct sales of authentic specimens and collectibles including fossils, meteorites, jewelry, historical artifacts, and space-related items. Products are sold as one-time purchases through the e-commerce platform with no subscription component.
- Licensed Collectible Partnerships: Revenue generated through licensing partnerships with entertainment brands (such as AMC Networks for The Walking Dead), producing limited-edition screen-used props and costumes sold via crowdfunding platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level specimens and display items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range fossils and artifacts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium specimens and complete Mini Museum editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Limited edition and specialty items |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Mini Museum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mini Museum sells authenticated, rare scientific specimens—including fossils, meteorites, dinosaur bones, and historical artifacts—permanently encapsulated inside handcrafted Lucite acrylic display blocks. The company curates themed collections targeted at collectors, educators, and gift buyers, and also develops companion picture books and licensing partnerships tied to its specimen library.
Product overview
Mini Museum is a curated e-commerce platform offering authentic scientific specimens, historical artifacts, and space exploration collectibles. The core product is the Mini Museum line of acrylic display cases containing authenticated specimens with certificates of authenticity, available in multiple editions (Fifth Edition, Fourth Edition, Third Edition, Age of Dinosaurs Edition) with varying specimen counts and price points. The portfolio spans over four billion years of history through individual products organized into collections including Dinosaurs, Air & Space (Apollo Program artifacts, Space Shuttle flown materials, SR-71 Blackbird, Amelia Earhart artifacts), Meteorites, Fossils & Geology, Jewelry (meteorite and fossil-derived), Relics & Artifacts (Titanic, Beatles, historical memorabilia), and Faces & Places (Dracula, American History, Japan). The company launched a new officially-licensed product category with The Walking Dead Mini Museum partnership with AMC Networks. Products range from affordable display cards ($10) to high-value specimens ($22,499 for Diplodocus skin fossil) and premium items ($6,900 for 1 sq cm Apollo 11 foil). Mini Museum has been sharing science and history around the world since 2014.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tiny Titans Collection A curated specimen series designed for younger audiences and beginner collectors.
- Mini Museum Tabletop Displays Authenticated specimens (meteorites, fossils, ancient artifacts) permanently embedded in clear Lucite blocks for collectors, educators, and gift buyers.
- Mini Museum Companion Picture Book An illustrated companion book that documents the history and science behind Mini Museum specimens.
- Wholesale & Custom Specimen Program
Companies that use Mini Museum
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mini Museum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Mini Museum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AMC NetworksflagshipAMC Networks and Mini Museum announced a partnership to launch The Walking Dead Mini Museum, a limited-edition collection of 32 authenticated screen-used props, costumes, and set pieces from all 11 seasons of the TV series. The collection launches exclusively on Kickstarter on May 5, 2026, limited to 5,000 pieces, and includes iconic items such as Negan's barbed-wire bat 'Lucille' and Michonne's katana. This marks the first time AMC has made production-used props available in such a format and represents Mini Museum's first officially-licensed collection with a major entertainment brand.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mini Museum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Evolution Store: NYC specialty retailer of natural history specimens, fossils, minerals, and curiosities with both physical storefront and online sales. Directly comparable to Mini Museum in specimen sourcing, authenticity positioning, and premium pricing of one-of-a-kind natural history items.
- Paxton Gate: Multi-store curiosity retailer selling natural history specimens, taxidermy, fossils, minerals, and oddities to collectors and home decor buyers. Comparable to Mini Museum in the curated-collectibles niche, gift-oriented customer base, and premium pricing on distinctive specimens.
- Bug Under Glass: Maker and retailer of real insects and arthropods encased in Lucite acrylic display blocks for home decor and education. Closely comparable to Mini Museum's proprietary Lucite encapsulation technique and direct-to-consumer model for encased specimens, though focused on the entomology niche.
- FossilEra: Online retailer specializing in authenticated fossils, dinosaur teeth, minerals, and meteorites for collectors and educators. Directly comparable to Mini Museum's fossil and meteorite e-commerce lines and authenticity-certification model.
- Galactic Stone & Ironworks: Specialty retailer of meteorites, tektites, and impact-related specimens sold direct-to-consumer with provenance documentation. Directly comparable to Mini Museum's meteorite category and authenticity-certification approach, though without the broader museum-branding layer.
Broad incumbents
- Smithsonian Store (Smithsonian Catalog): Official retail arm of the Smithsonian Institution, selling specimens, reproductions, jewelry, and educational items online and in museum gift shops. Comparable as a museum-branded collectibles retailer with strong authenticity story and global reach, though it sits on a much larger institutional collection and brand.
- American Museum of Natural History Shop: Official gift shop and online store of the AMNH, selling fossils, mineral specimens, jewelry, and science-themed gifts. Comparable to Mini Museum in museum-branded specimen retail and educational positioning, with broader assortment but lower specialization in one-off authenticated artifacts.
- Heritage Auctions: Largest US collectibles auction house covering natural history, space memorabilia, historical artifacts, and entertainment memorabilia. Comparable to Mini Museum across multiple categories (space artifacts, fossils, historical relics) and represents a credible secondary-market alternative for the same collector customer.
Emerging players
- Uncommon Goods: Online retailer of unique gifts, novelty items, jewelry, and curated curiosities with strong storytelling and educational content. Comparable to Mini Museum in the gift/novelty customer segment and content-driven DTC merchandising, though with a much broader and lower-priced assortment.
Others
- Atlas Obscura: Media and experiences brand cataloging unusual places, foods, and curiosities, with an e-commerce shop for related goods and experiences. Comparable to Mini Museum in building a content-driven brand around curiosity, history, and rare objects, though Atlas Obscura's primary business is media and experiences rather than specimen retail.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mini Museum social profiles
Digital presenceMini Museum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mini Museum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Mini Museum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mini Museum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mini Museum
What does Mini Museum do?
Mini Museum sells authenticated, rare scientific specimens—including fossils, meteorites, dinosaur bones, and historical artifacts—permanently encapsulated inside handcrafted Lucite acrylic display blocks. The company curates themed collections targeted at collectors, educators, and gift buyers, and also develops companion picture books and licensing partnerships tied to its specimen library.
Is Mini Museum a public or private company?
Mini Museum is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mini Museum founded?
Mini Museum was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mini Museum based?
Mini Museum is headquartered in Fairfax, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mini Museum make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensed Collectible Partnerships.
Who are Mini Museum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Evolution Store, Paxton Gate, Bug Under Glass, FossilEra and Galactic Stone & Ironworks. Broad incumbents are Smithsonian Store (Smithsonian Catalog), American Museum of Natural History Shop and Heritage Auctions. Uncommon Goods is listed as an emerging player. Atlas Obscura is listed as an others.
Does Mini Museum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mini Museum.
What industry is Mini Museum in?
Mini Museum's product category is Collectible Specimens and Natural History Memorabilia. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAKAB, Miniatures & Figurines (Display/Collectible), with a secondary code of CRALAJAG, Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops. Its NAICS code is 459 and its SIC code is 3960.