Collectibles, artwork, memorabilia, heirlooms: Don't protect and care for them?!!!

Collectibles, memorabilia, heirlooms, scrapbooks, antiques, family history should not be protected?!!! One of my readers wrote me, "Don’t try to protect or save collectibles from an earthquake!"  Whhaaaaaaat? Here's how I answered him: http://freeearthquakeinfo.org/earthquake-proofing/don’t-prepare-to-protect-or-save-collectibles-from-an-earthquake/

Art conservation questions? Call Scott Haskins 805 564 3438

Art appraisal questions? Call Richard Holgate 805 895 5121

Can Collectibles Survive Until They Become Heirlooms?

 I have a client who specializes in selling things on E-Bay. What a fun personality she is! And what experiences she has with all the people she meets. She's my guest blogger for this posting: meet Michele.

As a long time eBay consignment seller and trading assistant, I’ve had a lot of collectibles pass through my hands. I’ve also been invited into many homes to review and value collections of items for owners seeking to sell at profit or who are seeking to immediately liquidate items for needed cash on the spot. I’m often shown many collectibles and keepsakes, just for “show”, but I’m told they’re too dear to the family and not for sale.

Time and again I’m struck by how little people do to protect these collectibles and heirlooms that they insist they could never part with for any amount of money. Surely then, they’re worth a very small amount of money to protect and preserve them against the damages of water, earthquakes and being mishandled? Certainly also, collectible objects should be anchored to protect against breakage from being inadvertently bumped or, heaven forbid, shaken from their shelves and wall mounts and such in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.

There are such simple steps anyone can take to preserve their precious keepsakes and collectibles. When I mention things to the people I meet like anchoring shelves to walls, or anchoring collectibles down to shelves or using archival plastic bags for photo albums and so on, I’m often given what my mom used to call the $10 stare. Lately I’ve been mentioning Scott’s book, How to Save Your Stuff from a Disaster…, to the people I’ve been meeting with. If people aren’t prompted by my advice to them, maybe they’ll at least buy a book and take action after they see what I’ve said to them reinforced in print.

Btw, here's a quick video to illustrate just how easy it can be to protect and save paper items: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_7h4yTskE

Heirlooms, Memorabilia, Collectibles, Keepsakes: Protecting What Matters

This beautiful alabaster sculpture is a treasured heirloom from the owner’s mother. It was originally bought in the 1920’s in Florence, Italy and was passed down from mother to daughter. Sadly, due to improper packing and storage, the center section broke into several pieces. This greatly saddened the owner, as this heirloom possessed significant nostalgic value.

Damage due to improper packing and storage can be attributed to a lack of common sense. For example, some clients damage pieces when they stack a heavy box on top of fragile items. However, not all potential damage is as easily avoided, and when tricky situations arise sometimes you need an expert opinion. When advice is needed for packing home items, we have found such businesses as The UPS Store are extremely helpful. Although it may cost more time and money to safeguard your valuables when packing, moving, and storing, it is less expensive than restoration. Keep in mind that extra padding on all sides of a packing box is a cheap alternative to repair and loss of value.

Although it is important to take extra precautions when packing and moving, it is another discussion for items on display in your home that can be damaged by various disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes… and grandkids!). We recommend using Museum Wax, which is an anchoring wax that can help you avoid damage to collectibles when a building starts to shake. It secures valuable items to the wall, shelves, tables, and more, which means less falling and breaking for art collectors. Once this client’s decorative plate is restored to its previous beauty, she can further protect it for further generations by securing it with Museum Wax.

This beautiful alabaster plate is shown in its entirety. 

These delicate pieces broke off due to improper storage and packing.

This resulted in significant damage.