Collection Tracking Systems
As your collection starts to grow, it is important to keep a record of all your scopes. Knowing the artist, date and location purchased, cost and even who purchased to scope for you becomes harder to remember as the collection grows.
Excel is a simple tool to use to track scope information. Setup columns for the types of information you feel are important to keep records of and then enter each scope's information on a row in the Excel spreadsheet. Excel will allow you to sort your collection different ways and you can print out either all or select columns.
Remember to always make a copy of your Excel file in case you accidentally delete something. It is also a good idea to keep a backup of this file on a zip drive at another location in case of a fire.
Some common things to track about each scope purchase are:
- Scope Name or Description
- Artist
- Date Purchased
- Cost
- Artist's Company
- Artist's state or country
- Body Type
- Object Cell Type
- Material of the Scope's Body
- Mirror System
- If Signed by the Artist
- If Dated and the Date
- If Numbered and the Number and the Total Number Made
- Where Purchased
- and my favorite, Who purchased the scope (nothing like getting a scope as a present)
Another option is Kaliedotrack. It is an easy-to-use database of all your kaleidoscope information, and you may attach photos of each scope to the information about that scope. Kaleidotrak stores 33 different pieces of information for each kaleidoscope. This information is always right at your fingertips, and can be printed out for reports, datasheets, etc. Kaleidotrak Version 2.1 is now available for $44.95, including shipping & handling. A free demonstration version of Kaleidotrak is available for download.
One of the most important parts of collecting kaleidoscopes is to track them in a central location. Your heirs will thank you, your insurance agent will thank you, and you’ll be glad you took the time to put the details of your collection in a single, easily accessible format.