posted 11-29-2006 10:17 AM            

I've searched the SSF and no one seems to have addressed this topic, so I'll give it a shot, hoping that it's appropriate.

I have acquired a small but growing collection of spoons (early American coin silver, mostly pre-1800 New England). I'd like to know how other collectors catalogue their objects; while I have kept any information I received when I acquired each spoon, it's getting unwieldy and difficult to access! Suggestions about any of the following will be most gratefully received!

• Is there software that is especially designed for silver collectors? Will it run on a Macintosh? If there's more than one application, what's your recommendation?
  
• What categories of information should be included for each object?
  
• What other questions should I be asking?
  

Thanks in advance!

posted 11-29-2006 10:35 AM            

• Displaying spoons
  
• collection database
  

posted 11-30-2006 06:10 PM            

quote:

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Hello Scott - There is a post on the General forum regarding cataloguing a silver collection. In addition to the threads you have suggested, there is also a Silver Magazine article by W. Chandler in the March-April 2005 issue, entitled “Documenting your collection" that might be useful to include.

Thanks,
Kayvee

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Thanks to

Kayvee for the suggestion.
Silver Magazine for permission to post the article
and to Will Chandler

posted 11-30-2006 06:11 PM            

Collectors need to keep careful records of their holdings. Here we'll focus on the documentation of collectible silver, but many of the same concepts can be adapted to other categories of collecting, such as furniture, ceramics, woodblock prints, or�it's the collector's choice, after all� Disney-character salt shakers. My primary intent is to encourage you to keep detailed records of the items in your collection, and to suggest some methods and materials for producing and maintaining records that will serve you (and your heirs) in a variety of ways.

All images by the author
Fig. 1. A worktable with a typical set of tools used for documenting collectible silver. The essential documentation tool missing from this image is the camera used to record it.

Not seen in Figure 1 is the camera used to photograph the silver, but it is also an essential tool of good documentation. A clear photo of an artifact often provides the quickest and most reliable means of identification, especially when a collection contains several similar items. Photos made for documentation do not need to be of studio or publication quality, but they do need to be visually legible. In my experience, most Polaroid prints do not provide a clear-enough image to be useful, nor do videotaped images. Either a conventional 35mm film or digital camera with good lenses provides the best results for the purpose of documentation.4 When using a digital camera, set it to record high-resolution images only, to avoid murky results when the photos are printed. Including a portion of a tape measure in an image can provide an instant sense of scale, even if the numbers on the tape are not legible in the photo (Fig. 6).

Despite the increasing convenience of digital image storage and home computer InkJet photo printers, I still strongly recommend professionally processed color photo prints on glossy photo paper, stored in archival clear plastic sleeve-type album pages. Remember to carefully store the negatives, too, for backup. Conventional glossy photo prints, especially when kept in archival albums, remain the most reliable means of storing an image for long-term use, by which I mean more than ten years. The inks and papers used by many inkjet printers are more vulnerable to variations in heat and moisture and as yet have no conclusively proven track record of long-term stability. Digitized images stored on magnetic media such as CD-ROM or DVD disks have a known potential of degrading or becoming completely irretrievable within a few years. (To be safe, plan to recopy your image and other data files onto a new disk every two years.) And, needless to say, your hard drive is your filing cabinet only as long as your computer is running and its operating system is functioning properly. Your computer is a terrific tool for documenting your collection, but for safety's sake, produce printed paper copies of your records and store at least one complete set (text and images) offsite, in a safety deposit box or other secure storage.

Fig. 2. A sample standardized worksheet used to record the information about a silver artifact, created in Microsoft� Word and printed on a laser printer. This form can be adapted to a variety of specialized needs by modifying the categories shown.

• Sample Silver Inventory Worksheet (Word document)
  
• Will Chandler's example (PDF)

Although I hope that most of the headings on the sample worksheet are self-explanatory, some additional comments on the "Inventory Number" heading might be useful. This heading is included to encourage the use of a standard numbering system for tracking your artifacts, similar to the acquisition numbers used by many museums. Each artifact gets its own number, and all records include this number as an organizational aid. A simple numbering system usually works the best; avoid the temptation of making the number do too much. Usually, the number indicates the year of acquisition combined with the individual artifact's number, assigned in the order that the piece was acquired in that year. For example, 2005:001 would indicate the first item to enter the collection in the year 2005; 2005:123 would indicate the one hundred twenty-third item acquired in that same year. In 2006 the cycle would repeat itself.

posted 11-30-2006 06:12 PM            

If all of your records use a system of inventory numbers, it will be worthwhile to use the same numbering system on the physical artifacts. In storage, the artifact or its storage bag can often be marked with a simple paper string tag or other written label, but I cannot recommend the use of adhesive labels on the artifacts themselves. If you need to mark the silver itself, I suggest using this durable but completely reversible method. A small rectangle of clear nail lacquer can be added to the base or back of the piece, where it will not readily be seen in display. Once the lacquer has dried hard, the number can be drawn on the lacquer using a fine draftsman's pen—a Rapidograph-type, not a ballpoint— charged with a plastics-compatible India ink (available from art or architect supply stores). Once the ink is dry, add a second layer of clear lacquer to protect the ink.

Similarly, your photo prints can be labeled with your inventory numbers using any pen and a small press-on paper label, such as Avery® label 05418. If you are using digital image files, the inventory number can be added to the image filename in your data storage manager. Related papers, such as sales receipts, should be stored in clear Mylar page protectors labeled with the appropriate inventory numbers.

The form illustrated here was developed in Microsoft® Word, which is easy for most people to use but offers very limited sorting capabilities. If you are fluent in using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft® Excel or Access, you can modify the individual information fields to enhance the ability to sort your records in various ways. For example, you might want to configure a database that allows you to sort your collection records by type of artifact, date of acquisition, monetary value, or provenance.

Although the initial labor of documenting your collections might seem daunting, the long-term benefits should be readily apparent. (How many of us have said, "I wish I'd asked my grandmother to write down what she knew about that teapot.") Well-organized documentation is the best means I know for preserving the results of your research on your collections, and for sharing with your heirs and/or other collectors the stories that add no small measure of enjoyment to the artifacts themselves.

Fig. 6. A typical documentation photo. The inclusion of the measuring tape adds an immediate sense of scale to the image.

Will Chandler is an editor for Silver Magazine and the owner of Chandler Art Consulting Services in San Diego. A 1972 graduate of the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, he was associate curator of decorative arts at the San Diego Museum of Art from 1976 to 1988.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harold Newman. An Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 1987.

Dorothy T. Rainwater and Judy Redfield. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, Revised Fourth Edition. Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1998.

Arthur W. Schultz, gen. ed.. National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property. Caring for Your Collections. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992.

ENDNOTES
1 The tape illustrated is a 5-meter /16-foot Stanley Powerlock® Model 33-158. This model includes scales for both English and metric measurements, which can be very handy when researching silver made or sold outside the United States. When using a metal tape or metal-edged ruler, always take care not to scratch your silver.

2 The example shown is a Kemper Model AL12. Large sculptor's calipers are available from most art supply or hobby stores for less than $10.

3 The scale illustrated is an Acculab® Model GS-2001, with a maximum weight capacity of 2,000 grams. It can be set to indicate the weight in grams or in English ounces and tenths of ounces. To calculate traditional troy ounces from grams, multiply the gram weight by 0.0321507.

posted 12-01-2006 06:46 PM            

All of your suggestions were useful. Having explored them all and having learned that as a Mac user I was pretty much doomed when it came to finding good inventory-collection software, I finally turned to (great minds seem to think alike ...) Filemaker, a rare breed of business software written for a Mac. It has a rather steep learning curve, but I think it is all that FWG suggests. So I've begun.

The earlier threads were very interesting, and the other websites had much to offer as well. So, many thanks again to each of you.

posted 01-02-2010 05:35 PM            

And what about pictures, would a group picture of the forks, spoons, knives be sufficient? or do I even need pictures of the flatware?

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks

posted 01-03-2010 10:05 AM            

So far, my documentation has consisted of Excel spreadsheets, but I think it's time for something better, so I will definitely look into Filemaker.