As a result, I now know that a lot of men from my local area served in south Africa in the 19th century, who stole everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Growing up going to museums this seemed to be a common occurrence. Theft and donations of artworks, which had been stolen at some point. For the art, I don't mind as much as they were always pretty wild stories ranging from fires and recovery to theft and lost and refound -- it's like art heists where half of the history is what it's gone through before it's "final" resting place in the museum. But the personal items... those always hit different.

I think a really cool museum concept would be having contemporary cultures send in objects of their culture, because much like the little trinkets robbed back then, current little trinkets of today are just a bit different everywhere you go. We just don't realize it until 10-20 years from now, or 100.