The cost of maintaining the collection and the space, combined with Tallant's interest in future projects, lead him to entertain purchase offers in the late 1940s. He wanted the collection to remain in the local region, so he ultimately sold it to the Bradenton Junior Chamber of Commerce and in 1948, the collection became part of the newly formed South Florida Museum. Much of the collection remains in this museum today, and is the foundation for the Museum's cultural and anthropological exhibitions. It is impossible to determine the exact number of Florida sites investigated by Tallant, but it is estimated to be at least 169, most of these in the southern part of the state. The large number of metal artifacts is striking and unequaled in any other Florida collection.