I don’t know a single serious collector who doesn’t put serious time and effort into finding new items for their collection.

That’s such fun. The thrill of the chase is what gets us excited.

Sadly, I have known collectors who have neglected a perhaps more important area of their collection.

Storing it securely.

Words like safe and secure and damp proofing aren’t the stuff of excitement.

But it’s an area any serious collection must address with urgency if they haven’t already. And must keep a regular check on.

Climate change makes this an even more pressing matter for collectors facing warmer, more humid conditions, and increased fire and flood risk.

Let’s have a walk through the world of collectibles storage

What does collectibles storage need to do?

There are some fundamentals that apply across all areas of all collections.

And some that are specific to different specialisms.

To start with the basics, your collectibles need to be safe from harm and safe from theft.

A wall safe is only as safe as the wall it is attached to.

How to store collectibles securely

First things first: if your collectibles are are valuable they should be appropriately insured.

And they should be kept relatively securely.

Relatively is an important word here.

Most people collect because they enjoy their collections.

They want to see them.

And no-one can live in a bank vault.

So you need to be clear what the purpose of your collection is to you.

If you need to see it then you should get insurance and take good, general home security advice.

If your collection is so valuable that you don’t feel comfortable having it in your home you may need to consider paying for secure storage.

That’s not difficult to do.

At home it’s also fairly easy to take simple security measures.

An awful lot of property crime is spur-of-the-moment opportunism.

And most of it can be deterred with a few barriers to visibility and access.

There are occasional very high value thefts of well-known collections.

Hugely valuable, and very portable, items like stamps can be stolen.

In 1977, over 150 stamps, including an Inverted Jenny, were lifted from the New York Public Library. Many were sold to a perfectly reputable stamp dealer, who didn’t realise he was buying stolen goods. In the end, they were only recovered via civil litigation.

If your collection is substantial enough to attract that sort of attention you should seek professional storage and security advice.

A simple wall or floor safe is enough for the most precious items in most collections kept at home.

Keeping your collection safe from deterioration

For most collectors, the safety of their collectibles means their physical preservation from deterioration.

They may also wish to be able to display their collection safely.

Collectibles are such a huge range of items that some demand specific, specialist care.

However, we can make some general points:

• Water, damp, humidity is bad.
• Extremes of temperature are bad.
• Strong, bright, direct light is bad.
• Physical pressure - weight usually - is bad.

Where should I store my collectibles?

First find a safe location for your storage.

It should be somewhere where you can control the temperature and lighting conditions.

Be aware of any potential for accidents.

Pipes leak. Radiators give off steam. Electrical fires happen. Bathrooms send water through floors.

Natural disasters like wild fires and floods are becoming more common. 

Have you seen the weather lately? Secure storage is worth considering.

If you're in a property liable to or at risk from these things you may wish to have a plan to secure and evacuate some of your collection in an emergency - though never at risk to your own safety or the safety of others.

How should I protect my collectibles?

Collectibles of all types should almost without exception be separated in their storage.

“Bag damage” is a specific problem with coins. We don’t want to add to it by keeping anything where it can be bashed about by other items.

This separation may be a matter of simple placement. Or, in time, and for large collections, it may become something that requires specialist storage furniture of packages.

Almost all collectibles should not be stacked. This can cause compression damage. “Upright” is the usually preferred storage position.

Can I safely display my collectibles?

Yes, of course.

For most people, a collection is something to be celebrated.

You don't buy a beautiful, original John Lennon sketch like this to hide it away.

But, you should keep these general rules in mind when you decide where to place your precious items.

It goes without saying that you should never glue, pin, or otherwise fasten through items for framing.

Professional framing is a very good idea for most collectibles.

You should look for the same standards in framing materials as you do in any other collectibles storage solutions. Acid-free or archive-quality backings and surround, and conservation glass that will reduce UV light damage to paper.

How to safely store specific collectibles

How to safely store paper collectibles including autographs

Paper has a long history. And, not all paper is equal.

Counter intuitively, older paper is often more robust than modern versions.

In particular, historic documents made of parchment or vellum (which are animal-skin media) feel indestructible and are extremely durable. They should still be treated with care and stored properly.

Older documents, like this extraordinary Henry VII message, last because of the quality of the medium. 

Rag papers are also more durable than modern, mass produced paper.

From 1843 wood pulp was used to make paper. Unfortunately, wood pulp paper destroys itself. The acid in the wood pulp turns paper to ash over the long term. Many mid-19th century mass-produced documents have been lost as a result of this.

There have been improvements to papers, and high-value documents, books and papers are sometimes made from cotton-derived papers that last longer.

If you have paper that is deteriorating you should seek specialist conservation advice.

Never attempt to clean or repair paper unless you really know what you are doing.

Paper should be stored as far as possible in the dark.

When it is exposed to light, it should be through UV filtered glass whenever possible.

Paper should be stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment if possible. Stability of temperature and humidity is important. Paper should be kept at 20°C to 24.4°C (68°F to 76°F) with a humidity level of 35% to 55%.

Paper should be checked before it is stored to see if there is mould or insect damage and to make sure that damage isn’t active. If it is, you may need to find a specialist conservator to deal with infestations before storage.

Stars signatures, like this Beatles set, often come on fragile pieces of paper like an envelope.

Paper should be checked regularly while it is in storage.

Don’t handle paper if you can avoid it. If you do handle paper, do so with clean hands, or with archive-quality or acid-free gloves.

If you are storing paper in albums or files they should be acid-free or archive-qulaity and they should be stored upright on shelves.

How to safely store stamps

Stamps are paper, but generally gummed.

Stamps are incredibly sensitive to humidity and damp.

Stanley Gibbons recommend that stamps should be stored at a constant temperature of 12°C with a relative humidity of between 50-55%.

They recommend using a wine cooler.

Silica gel is used by some collectors without that facility to combat damp and humidity.

Stamps should never be stuck to anything. Modern hinges are much improved, but most stamp collectors now prefer pocket albums.

These should be acid free or archive-quality.

Every detail of this set of stamps, including the perforations, is key to its value, and all need to be protected. 

Stamp albums should not be stacked, but kept upright on shelves or in boxes. Boxes can add an extra layer of protection from accidental water or temperature damage, and should be sturdy and waterproof.

Check your stamps regularly and monitor the environment in which they are kept. Accurate thermometers and humidity gauges are easy to come by.

How to safely store coins

Coins are much more robust than stamps, but they are far from indestructible and should be treated with the same care.

Coins should always be stored separately from each other.

The best way to keep coins apart is in specialist coin holders. These may be sleeve-like envelopes, or completely enclosing plastic cases for more valuable coins.

This Elizabeth I coin was made to last, but gold in particular is quite a fragile material. 

Coins are sensitive to touch. Acid and grease from our fingers can damage their lustre. They should be handled as little as possible, and with gloves if they are out of their containers.

You can find how-to guides for coin cleaning online.

It is almost certainly safer to seek professional advice before you do any cleaning yourself. If you’re not sure then don’t proceed.

Coins should be kept upright, and not stacked on top of each other.

Banknotes should be treated like any other paper document.

How to store watches safely

Watches add an extra dimension to your storage concerns because they are complicated working machines.

Most collected watches are mechanical, so there isn’t a battery to worry about.

Those watches that contain a battery should probably be stored for the long-term without their battery.

Cleanliness is of extra concern with watches, which should be kept dust free.

They are at risk of moisture damage too, and should be kept in a clean, dry place, ideally double-boxed and upright.

Silica gel can help with humidity if you don’t have the facilities to monitor or regulate moisture in the air.

The original packaging is an important part of your watch, and your friend in keeping it safely for the long term. 

As keeping the original packaging is a big part of watch collecting that can be a part of your storage solution.

The papers that come with your watch add to its value and should also be considered when you make storage decisions.

Cleaning watches - beyond wiping with a clean, lint-free cloth - is a specialist task.

Collectibles worth protecting

Whatever your collection is of we know you want to keep it for future generations.

We can help you build a collection.

And store it.

And, if you’d like to know more, you’d like more advice like this, and you want to know when we secure new items for our clientele, you should sign up for our free newsletter here. You’ll never miss out again.