What records do you keep of your collection?

[Ian]

Hi kai,

Thanks for your thoughtful responses.

Originally Posted by kai

Hello Ian,

Definitely make sure that the numbers are unique, e.g. starting with a different digit. It’s also common usage to put your initials in front of any code which helps to refer to collections later on. ...

My alpha-numeric system provides unique identifiers, but the numeric part may not be unique because I start each alpha-group from the number 1000 to avoid leading zeros.

... As indicated by Ken, keeping records of buyers may pose a security issue in case of any data breach and will be illegal under some jurisdictions. ...

This is something that I raised with my tax accountant. He said that the ATO in Australia might want this information if I was audited and suggested encrypting the data, which I have done. Is there anything further I should do?

... I’d suggest to always list the materials utilized as well as possible legal ramifications like CITES.

It seems preferable to specify all data separately for each component since age/etc. may differ widely: blade, hilt, scabbard, and accessories (if any). ...

This information is contained in my "Notes" column, which can become quite lengthy for some items. In addition to the materials used, I record whether the hilt, scabbard, etc. appears to be a replacement.

Ian