Last time in Collections: Part 1 I talked about options and display, in this; part 2, I’ll talk about some Do’s and Dont’s along with alternating and storage.

Do: Enjoy what you are collecting.  If you are going to put out the money and time, you should enjoy all of what you see on display.
Don’t: Collect what ever there is if it doesn’t give you satisfaction or pleasure.  You never want to ask yourself, “Why did I get that?”

Do: Shop around for the best price for a current or older/rare item. You’ll be more satisfied that you got it by doing some extra work to get it.  (See my article on the “Cobra Viper Commando and Serpent Armor.”)
Don’t: Use the specialty shops blindly just because they have it in stock and the first few places you looked didn’t. Use the specialty shops only as a last resort, their price’s are way over being reasonable, the mark-up is just too much!

Do: Take extra steps in protecting the rare items and even the readily available items, they may become harder to find down the line if you want to replace anything that gets damaged.

As always, if you REALLY want something, grab it NOW because it may be gone the next time you go looking for it.

Alternating and Storage: So, you have way too much to put out because there just isn’t enough space to put it, however, you want to show a collection even if it means trading off every so often.

Here is an example: You have a fairly large “Batman” collection which you want to enjoy, but at the moment you have a “Masters of the Universe” collection in the only available space. What do you do? You need to store the “Masters of the Universe” collection until the day you put it back out on display. Here are some options with storing your valuable collection.

For pictures and posters–hopefully they are framed! Stand them up so nothing can sit directly on them and damage the glass of the frame or scratch the plastic in the case of plastic plate frames. By not putting anything on top of the piece it should stay undamaged, IE: bent, warped.

Next, you will need a sturdy cardboard box or even better a Rubbermaid style plastic container box. This will give at least 75% protection for what’s inside. Natural Disasters will probably get in.

If the items are MIB-Mint In Box, carefully wrap them in paper and then bubble wrap. The paper should keep the acid that’s in the plastic bubble wrap at bay–at least we hope! By protecting each individual piece, you can almost guarantee their safety.

If they are loose items, then simply wrap them in paper, like wrapping glasses, this will keep them padded so they don’t get nicked or scratched.
If you have the original boxes that you don’t really care about and the item can be put back in, then go for it, that will keep the pieces protected.

The next step is to load the container or box, do it carefully so nothing gets damaged in the process. Use balled up newspaper for extra padding as though you were going to send the box through the mail, it’ll be worth taking this extra step in the long run, just in case the box gets jostled.
Secure the top of the box–if cardboard, use tape, if it’s a plastic storage box, make sure the lid snaps closed–then tape it also.
Finally store the box along with the photos or posters in a cool, dry place. NO WET BASEMENTS!

Currently, I store a lot of figures in a hall closet, they just sit on the shelves stacked safely and don’t get bothered unless I open the door and take them out a piece at a time. certain items as mentioned in part one, like my G.I. Joe movie figures that are not on display, are sealed in a cardboard box.

Now that a space is open you are able to display the new items until you either have more room for the other collection(s) or want to swap out for the other.

The following is my Batman collection, not an easy picture to take as it fills most of my bed.  Some general info on it includes:  Most of the “Batman” figures were gifts from a friend with other figures such as Thrill Killer Batgirl being from another friend.  The large Animated Series 4 packs were grabbed from Toys R Us while they were available.  My favorites include the Thrill Killer Batman and Batgirl, the All Star Batgirl, All of the Catwoman figures and the cool 2 pack of Batman and Scarecrow!

Oddly enough, not all of my Batman collection is on display, I keep most of them in the spare room with the computer, the rest in a closet and I only have the Scarecrow/Batman pack in my bedroom.  I guess I’ll have to find a way to display the whole set!

Next time we’ll talk about the negative aspect including loss, sale or the dreaded “I’m done collecting ???–wait!  What’s that!  I have to have it!!!”

Happy Collecting!

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