Growing and maintaining a collection of high-value items can be a treasure, an excellent hobby, and a viable investment for the future. If you need to move your items as part of moving house or for other reasons, careful transport should be the first thing on your mind. Moving systems aren’t always set up to protect your most valuable belongings, but you can increase the chances of getting everything there safely. With these tips, you’ll know how to pack your collectibles for a safe trip.
Catalog Your Inventory
Whether you have a few dozen items or thousands, you’ll need an inventory. Inventories are practical because they show you what you have and help you prioritize which items need the most protection. Choose an organization system for your collection inventory, and make sure that others can understand it. Take pictures of your unpacked collectibles, especially high-value items. This step will help you establish their condition prior to moving and provide evidence in case you need to make an insurance claim.
Evaluate Insurance Coverage
Most moving companies offer insurance to protect your items during storage and transit, but the base coverage is often insufficient for valuables. As a rule, you can expect to get about $0.60 per pound of damaged items. If you have a lightweight jersey that sustains damage during transportation and you chose the base coverage, you might only get a dollar or two in return. Consider upgrading your insurance coverage to compensate you for damage to your most expensive items.
Don’t Skimp on the Packing Materials
If you have to move a large home, it’s tempting to skimp on the packing materials since you have to buy so much. Avoid this pitfall. Collectibles need to be stored using proper materials or you risk damaging them in the process. Use acid-free paper or bubble wrap around your items and look for rigid packing materials like cardboard to provide additional supportive layers. If you’re transporting soft items like jerseys, consider archival-grade garment bags.
Customize Packaging for Unusual Sizes or Shapes
When you start shopping around for packing materials, the types and sizes you need to buy depend on your collection. For example, if you have a long list of graded sports cards, it might be easy to find foam inserts that fit snugly. By comparison, an autographed helmet might require customization. Custom display cases and other materials may weigh more and cost more to ship, but they’ll help you keep your items in good condition. If you’re not sure what to get, consult your autograph store for assistance.
Create an Inventory for Each Box
Before you start packing and labeling, you should create an inventory for each box. If you have thousands of graded cards, for example, it won’t help you to put “cards” on dozens of boxes. Take the dimensions of the packing materials you’ll be using and divide up your collection into boxes and other containers. Make sure that you can fit the items in each box with extra cushion, if necessary. Consider using NFC tags so you can scan each box to quickly determine what’s inside.
Consider Controlled Transportation
Once you get the items into boxes or bags, you’ll need to get them there safely without cracking or warping. You can’t always guarantee that your moving truck will avoid temperature or humidity extremes unless you pay extra for environment-controlled transportation. Certain moving vehicles can maintain an ideal temperature and humidity for an additional cost. You may not need this level of care for all your collectibles, but you might consider upgrading for the most important or vulnerable items.
Keeping your collectibles in good condition requires a plan to minimize damage, especially when you need to move them. By organizing your collection, choosing proper materials and selecting the most effective transport, you can help to ensure that your collection arrives the way it looked when you packed it.
We hope you found this blog post on Safely Move Autographed Collectibles Without Losing Their Value, useful. Be sure to check out our post on Decluttering Your Home Prior to Moving for more great tips!
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