Classification schemes
This is a subject near and dear to me since my day job is library-centric and is heavily involved in various classification schemes. Libraries are way ahead of the curve on this one. They have a large number of established classification schemes that work for just about every subject one can think of. Dewey, LCC and NLM are common examples. These schemes are good at describing books, video and music, but do not lend themselves well to physical objects. As far as I know the scheme.org folks are only group that has attempted this. And it's messy, to say the least! The approach I am using is not standard, but includes enough meta-data about the object to serve for insurance purposes. This includes the following:
- a unique identification number. For example VI-131
- basic object type (dagger, sword, jambiya, etc.)
- origin
- date and place of manufacture
- a detailed description
- the object dimensions
- valuations
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Harry
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