How do you track your collection?

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

I have too many models to display at any one time, but in a way this actually helps me keep track of what I have, despite the fact that I don't keep any written log of it. I have one shelf that I rotate displays through mostly based on either time period, formation, or taxonomic families, depending on my fancy at the moment. Anytime I swap my displays, it brings to the forefront of my mind whatever I need to complete the current theme, which keeps a running tally in my head with relatively little effort.
This is probably just a quirk of the way my brain categorizes things, though, so I don't necessarily suggest it for others!

[ceratopsian]

I had no absolutely no idea that was possible @Halichoeres!! I'll investigate.

I also keep a set of lever arch files in which I alphabetically keep a slot for each model. It will have any paper/card items that came with each model and maybe a sheet with photos etc.

This is one of the reasons I don't like spreadsheets so much. I am a visual person and if I can't file my info with images, I get bored or tired of it quickly and stop doing the work.

Maybe you already know this, but most spreadsheet software will let you put an image in a cell or a pivot table, so it could be associated with any text-based entries.

[ceratopsian]

I used to print off the Blog reviews and file them as part of my record keeping but the person who was plagiarising them and putting them up elsewhere on the web put paid to that.  I don't have any interest in my collection's financial performance. It's a collection for fun and enjoyment, not profit.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

mY collection is always evolving. As I buy anything new something old has to go. Mostly I just remember what I have too.  I don't care a lot about value but it does help hen you keep collecting to let go of something more desirable to get a bunch of new items.

[Concavenator]

It's a collection for fun and enjoyment, not profit.

Same here. I buy a particular figure because I like it, not because I'm planning to resell it at a higher price later on. If I did that, more than a collector I'd be an investor.

As I said before, I use dinotoycollector.com for keeping track of my collection, as well as the figures I'm interested in. But when it comes to managing my collection's size, here are some tips that I use:

Spoiler

- I'm not a completist, be it collecting line-wise or species-wise. This helps a lot. 

- I only buy figures of creatures I'm interested in. No matter how good or tempting a figure may be, if it's a creature I don't care about, I don't get it. Likewise, if I lose interest in a particular species from my collection, I sell that/those figures.

- I only collect 1 figure per genus. If I'm interested in a figure of a genus that is already represented in my collection, the current figure has to go. This may be tough for some people and that's fine, but nonetheless it's certainly a way to save space. I'm rather strict when it comes to this, I don't even get multiple figures of my favorite prehistoric animal/s, no matter if they're in different scales, come from different manufacturers, or whatever. Just 1/genus. If you think I'm strict, I've seen some people claim they only collect 1 figure/family!

- I don't buy figures of animals that look very much alike. For example, I don't need to have a Gorgosaurus AND an Albertosaurus. I'd just take one of those.

- Similar to the previous point, though not exactly the same, I'm sometimes interested in a particular figure to fill a particular "niche" that interests me. Say I want to have a figure of a megaraptorid, a group that interests me but because of how poorly known they are, I don't feel the need to have several of them. I buy a figure of a particular megaraptorid (for example, Aerosteon) but later on a figure of another megaraptorid genus that I care more about is released (Megaraptor). So I'd sell the Aerosteon and get the Megaraptor. Or simply if I like a certain megaraptorid figure more than the one I currently have, I sell the one I have and get the other one.

- Generally I only buy figures of animals known from (at least) decent remains. This is so what I'm buying represents a noteworthy creature, not just a pretty figure of something known from scraps. I make very few exceptions to this, but I do, if that creature has some very important background behind it (Megalosaurus), doesn't have any close relatives that are well-known and I'm particularly interested (megaraptorids) or belong to a group that in general doesn't interest me too much (I'd get a Koolasuchus but not many/any other prehistoric amphibians).

- If a figure of a creature I'm interested in is released, next step is to assess how scientifically accurate it is. If the figure doesn't have any known inaccuracies, or if it does, I don't consider it/them to be very bad, I'll likely get it (depends on if I like the figure itself, accessibility and, consequently, price). When it comes to inaccuracies, I may be more or less tolerant depending on how likely I think it is that another, superior version is released later on. In some cases this would be feasible, other times not. This point also means that, if a figure's inaccuracies are too bad I don't get it, even if I otherwise like the figure.

- I don't buy figures that I consider "too big", even if they represent species I like. I could do an exception to this every once in a long while, but I have to be very desperate to do so.

- Generally, if there are 2 or more figures of a particular species that I consider equally good, I get the smaller one.

Other helpful tips that I've seen people share, even though I don't necessarily follow them, are:

- Limit your collection to a particular group of creatures.

- Limit your collection to figures made at a particular scale.

- Setting up a collecing pace, so you don't end up buying absolutely everything you want (this helps if you have limited space/money to spend).

[close]

These tips are just to give an idea, another possibility would be to modificate those tips at your own liking. Even though I think all I've shared is helpful when it comes to managing space, some of the tips I shared are too strict for certain people, so they're clearly not for everyone. In any case, remember that when it comes to collecting, there aren't rules written about it, so at the end of the day, you can do whatever you want.

[Samrukia]

It's fascinating to observe how collectors approach organization. Your detailed spreadsheet system is an intelligent move, significantly as your collection expands. Similarly, I found meticulous tracking vital when researching for my sociology dissertation service. Like your method, my approach involved categorizing and recording sources, themes, and critical points. As your collection tells a story, every data point in my research contributed to a narrative.

is this AI generated text?

[CityRaptor]

Yeah, that clearly is some bot.

And to keep in relevant to the topic: I also do not collect with profit in mind. Although of course I do not mind making profit if selling something I no longer want.

[Concavenator]

Yikes, what's with those bots joining and posting on the forum as of late? There was another one that, out of all the topics in the forum, only posted (ads) in my collection thread... They're starting to feel like those Alpha Droids from Dinosaur King.

Spoiler

[close]

And to keep in relevant to the topic: I also do not collect with profit in mind. Although of course I do not mind making profit if selling something I no longer want.

Same here.

[Libraraptor]

It's fascinating to observe how collectors approach organization. Your detailed spreadsheet system is an intelligent move, significantly as your collection expands. Similarly, I found meticulous tracking vital when researching for my sociology dissertation service. Like your method, my approach involved categorizing and recording sources, themes, and critical points. As your collection tells a story, every data point in my research contributed to a narrative.

is this AI generated text?

It most likely is, hence I deleted it.