Welcome to the first entry of my new mini-series, Collecting 101! The purpose of this series is to share general tips, storage advice and things along those lines. There are a lot of things I wish I knew when I first got into collecting. I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert, but after years of collecting various things, I've picked up some tips over time and perhaps some of them may be of use to others, too.
The first thing I wish I had done when I first started getting Buffy collectibles? Documenting them properly. Specifically, cataloguing everything in a way that was clear and easy to refer to. At first, I didn't really think I was a collector (ha!) so I didn't think there was much point, but several years later, I feel a lot differently. Had I had a spreadsheet to refer to, I could have avoided getting duplicates of certain items and would have a clearer idea of what I have. I'm going to document them all at some point, but it's much easier to keep track of things as early as possible, as I've learned!
Beyond what I mentioned above, there's another valid reason to keep track of things: insurance. It sounds boring to most people, but it really is something to consider even if you don't think you have much. Having photos and documents referring to receipts and the overall value of items can be extremely helpful when working out the insurance you want to get. It can also serve as proof if anything ever does happen to your things.
Fortunately, when I got into Charmed collectibles, I had a lot more experience and knew what rookie mistakes I wanted to avoid. So, enter the spreadsheet:
The above is a snippet of my current configuration. For me, it's a clear overview but also provides any necessary additional information. The market value section is, of course, speculative and often difficult to pinpoint (hence the blank spaces!), but I have it for the things where I know what they typically sell for. It's also worth noting that I usually include the shipping in the price paid section.
This isn't by any means the only way to do it, there are probably even better ways. But, this is what I do and it works for me! I'm often on the hunt for promotional trading cards and costume cards which have completely non-catchy names, a quick glance at my spreadsheet tells me what I already have, without having to go through every binder. I also keep other spreadsheets and checklists for individual trading card sets for even further organisation.
I hope this helps to give you an idea of the kind of thing you can do for better organisation. If you're just starting out, I really recommend getting into a good habit! Spreadsheets are so easy to do and it's ridiculously satisfying being able to tick off new additions.
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