4 Ways To Protect Your Collectibles

Art collectors invest a lot of time, effort, and money to acquire those wonderful artifacts. It’s therefore very important to protect these wonderful possessions jealously. This might include protection from things like breakage and damage, natural disasters, thieves, UV light, and water stains. Although your insurance can cover financial loss or damage, most of these reassures are unique. They possess a sentimental value that no monetary value can replace. Here are some ideas on how to protect your collectibles.

Catalog your collection

It is a good idea to have a digital inventory of all your collectibles. A good idea is to make an Excel list and to keep it updated. Have a list with the item, current condition, when bought, and place of purchase. Consider including each item’s monetary value and sentimental value. You can use color-coding to rate the sentimental value with a different color representing importance.

This list will give a good overview of the items you can insure. Additionally, it also makes it easy to choose items that need special attention during disaster proofing. Include item pictures, copies of authenticity certificates, receipts, and other important documents. Ensure to save the list of your inventory on Cloud just in case your computer is stolen or damaged.

Keep displayed items protected

It is a great idea to display your best ivory figurines at home. However, you have to keep them protected from any hazards or impact forces. Invest in sturdy shelving that can be solidly secured on the wall instead of glass shelves and display cabinets. The shelving can be attached using screws to a stud but not just into drywall. Don’t place your artifacts on top of the shelf to lessen chances of falling and getting damaged.

Some item can be secured in place using hook and loop fasteners on the shelving. Alternatively, you can use non-damaging adhesives including gel or earthquake putty to secure your collectibles in place. These are the same techniques museums use to keep exhibits in place. With these, it will be hard for your items to fall and break or to be picked up by thieves.

Invest in a top-quality safe

A high-quality and sturdy safe offers secure storage for a variety of items in a home. Perhaps you’re going away on a long holiday. You wouldn’t like to come back with all your precious collectibles stolen by burglars. Keeping them secure in a strong safe stored away in a safe place is a great idea. Luckily, a good safe can hold more than one piece including other items like jewelry. By the time you come back, your possessions will be just where you left them.

Apart from protecting precious items from thieves, a quality safe is water and fireproof. Regardless of whether fire beaks outs, floods come or the house falls down, your collectibles are always safe and intact. You can seal your figurines in plastic Ziploc bags for enhanced protection from water damage that might encourage staining.

Protection during transit

When moving artifacts from one place to another, protection is very important. You have to ensure that don’t reach your destination only to realize that your items have cracks or dents they didn’t have before. It is very important to wrap them safely in protecting material like bubble wrap or other padding material. Alternatively, you can hire a professional art moving agency with the experience and expertise to handle moving art. This is recommended when you have a number of pieces in your collection.

 Secure storage

Collectibles are made from different material with various storage requirements. Opting for shockproof and watertight containers might not be enough. It is very important to invest in sturdy containers that will protect your artifacts from humidity or water leaks. Keep the items in storage off the basement floor but on sturdy and secure shelving. Understand the storage requirements of each item from the supplier to avoid deterioration when sealed and airtight.

 Bottom line

Artifacts make a wonderful decoration in a home. However, it’s very important to understand how to keep your prized items safe from thieves, breakage, stains, and natural disasters.  Hope the ideas above have opened your eyes on the best way to protect your collectibles. Even when on display, your ivory figurines need protection from thieves and damage from a fall.