Collecting is amazing! It can be the ultimate nerve-racking treasure hunt. There is no better feeling to anyone in this industry then finding the artist, comic, toy, porcelain sculpture, or tribal artifact etc. you’ve been searching ages for. A collection is manageable when it’s only 10 or 20 pieces that easily fit in your home, or even 50 pieces if they are small enough. However, what do you do once your collection outgrows your living area? That is the real question. Trust me, I’m experiencing it right now! Let me set the stage for you. My fiancé and I love contemporary art, myself more than her I’m essentially an addict at this point. You just can’t stop buying when you love something so much. However, I do not have endless wall space, and unfortunately a lot of artworks never makes it on the wall. This requires me to have some form of “storage”. I use quotation marks because my storage for upwards of a year before moving was our coat/shoe closet and corner of our dining room next to the wine rack. If you follow this example, I promise you will be subject to nothing but heartache and despair.
Proper care and storage of your collection is critical. Two of the biggest components are humidity and sunlight, with your furry friends coming in third as an honorable mention. Pets are horrible and can be as destructive if not more than a rainstorm and earthquake combined to your collectibles. But the humidity and sunlight are things up to your control. If you are going to utilize a basement, and especially if unfinished you must use a dehumidifier to regulate the moisture. I don’t care whether you collect artwork, porcelain, toys, or cast-iron stoves. Moisture is bad! It will be the death of any tangible asset you adore. Sun is the other harbinger of collectible death, especially direct sunlight. You won’t notice it after a day, week, or month. It might take you years to recognize if its something you stare at every day. But the point is whatever it is will become yellowed and faded in no time. If you have a home with a lot of windows, then dark curtains will be your best friend. I can’t stress enough how conscious you need to be of these things, it will only save you from a bad day in the future.
