Managing Collections

Many of us have collections of objects that give us pleasure. Part of creating a comfortable space around us is surrounding ourselves with things that are a joy to see. Collections can also remind us of a time in our lives that we don't want to forget—a few old-fashioned toy train cars remind us of our childhood, our past playfulness, and the free imagination we exercised while choo-chooing around a tiny village in our basement. Sometimes collectibles are kept as investments—that caboose in perfect condition could eventually be worth a lot more when passed down to your grandkids.

But collections can easily grow out of control and for the wrong reasons. We live in finite spaces and must keep the size of collections proportional to the space we have to house them properly and the time we must spend to maintain them.

Considering the following ideas will help you prioritize the value (sentimental and monetary) of your collectibles. Weigh letting these go with how much money it would put in your pocket. Weigh keeping these with how much usable space you lose in your house.

Evaluate the Sentimental Value

  1. Make a list from memory of the items in your collection that were special gifts or have some special meaning attached to them. Make a list from memory of your absolute favorite items. Items that aren't in the forefront of your mind are probably not important enough to keep.
  2. Does "saving for posterity" have a sentimental context for you? If you plan to share these items with your children or grandchildren, will the item have context for the child? Is there a better way to share your interest with the child? Would you let the child play with the item or would it stay out of reach or in its packaging?
  3. If you have more items than will fit in your space, how often do you take these out and enjoy them? Consider rotating items on display in your house. Set up a schedule of changing them every two months. Find out if seeing these items is enough of a priority to maintain the schedule of rotation.
  4. Do you want to be a slave to dusting the items that are on display? Some people don't mind dusting. Others hate it.

Evaluate the Monetary Value

  1. Determine the current market value for each item. Is it actually a collectible with significant monetary value?
  2. Determine which items are actually increasing in value and at what rate. How do these compare to an investment fund you could set up?
  3. How rare, or how common is each item? If you let the common ones go, they may not be too hard to find again later if you need them.
  4. If determining these things seems like a big chore, that is a sign that you may not have a full-fledged interest in your collection. Additionally, you could be becoming a slave to your possessions. How much time/money/space do you really want to spend maintaining/evaluating/insuring possessions?
  5. Are these items insured properly? If not, that could be an indicator that they are not as important to you as you think.

What To Do After Evaluating the Value

Ebay or auction unwanted items or take them to an antiques dealer, thrift shop, consignment shop, or charity. Then, do the following with the items you keep:

  1. Determine spaces in the house where you want to display items. Decide if the displays are permanent or rotating. If rotating, set up a schedule to rotate the displays and maintain it.
  2. Put the remaining items in boxes or plastic bins that are all the same size, sturdy enough to stack, and shaped properly for stacking. Also, consider the dimensions of the space where you will store these when choosing the dimensions of the boxes.
  3. If storing in cardboard boxes, be sure to choose boxes that assemble without the use of glue, which can attract roaches and other insects. If necessary, use acid-free or other archival materials.
  4. Determine if any boxes of items can go in non-climate-controlled storage areas like the garage or attic. Most likely, collectibles will need to be kept in climate-controlled space.
  5. Clearly label each box.
  6. If you must keep more than you have storage space for, consider distributing the boxes around the house. Perhaps filling every high shelf in closets, pantry, kitchen. Or stack neatly against a wall, cover with a decorative cloth, and top with a decorative wood shelf. Or use sturdy enough boxes to top with a decorative cloth and cushions that could be used as a bench in the foyer, breakfast nook, or hall. Or stow the boxes on the floor underneath wall-mounted shelves and your desk. Be sure to move boxes on the floor to vacuum under them on a monthly basis. Remember that if the collection is interfering with normal activities in your house or if you are thinking about renting a storage space, you may not have purged enough.

Completing these exercises will help you determine whether your collections have taken control of you and must be purged so that you can reclaim your living space or if your collections fit your space and your life. You may even find out that a perfect new hobby for you would be collecting and reselling collectibles through the Internet.

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