Get more information on how to keep track of your collections to better organize.
Are you a serious collector? If so,
you know that it's important to track relevant details about each item in your collection - whether it's a collection of art, stamps, guns or baseball cards. Once your collection is sizeable, there comes a time when it reaches critical mass. When that happens, tracking details can get very unwieldy. One solution is to invest in home inventory software. This would probably make your insurance company happy, but it wouldn't provide the flexibility and features you need if your intent is to carefully catalog your valuable collection. For that, you need specialty software for collectors, designed specifically to detail all of the information and data you need to efficiently track your collection and manage your collecting.
Why Choose Collector Software?
There's a difference between collector software and home inventory software. Home inventory software is designed primarily for insurance purposes. It can serve as a record of your belongings and proof of value to help insurance companies determine premiums accurately. It also helps you establish proof of ownership and value if you should ever have to file a claim. As a collector, your interests and needs are different. Chances are good that you'll want to record and track far more information than just the value and source of the items in your collection. Dedicated collecting software provides the tools you need to accurately track your collection as well as additional capabilities: for example, it allows you to track and manage dealer contacts, record certifications and valuations, and enter files with provenance information.
What to Look for in Collecting Software
These are a few of the features you should expect from dedicated software for collectors.
* Track identification information for insurance claims
Your collector software database should easily allow you to enter all relevant information about the items in your collection that might be required by your insurance company. Those items should include name, description, bar code (if applicable), serial numbers, registration numbers, type, manufacturer, and model number. In addition, there are some fields that are only relevant to certain types of collections. Gun collector software, for example, should have fields for caliber or gauge in addition to model and serial number.
* Export information to insurance forms or spreadsheet software
The software should have an effortless way to export the information from your database to relevant insurance forms or to a spreadsheet. This makes your life easier in many ways, including for filing insurance claims.
* Ability to view/display items in the collection easily
The latest innovations in collector software include the ability to pull up your collection database on mobile devices, a huge benefit for collectors/dealers who can easily check inventory, show pictures and reference details for items they're not carrying with them.
* Secure access
Today, many database programs store information in the cloud, where it can far too easily be accessed by hackers and others. One popular piece of collector software can be run directly from your USB drive, with no need to even record any files to your computer. Nearly all include password-encrypted access so that you can control who can see your files, view your collection, and read your data.
* Records acquisition, disposition, maintenance and other data
Some collections require meticulous record keeping, Gun collector software and knife collection software, for example, should include fields to record acquisition and disposition records accurately. Other types of collections may require fields for maintenance or inspection records.
The best home inventory software can't match the capabilities and benefits of dedicated software for collectors. In fact, the best collector software should be customizable enough to completely take the place of your home inventory software.
