[can-talk] Insuring Historical colelcitons

Hi Su, 

 

Here at the National Trust (NSW) I have been managing a collection
project that involves an inventory, digital pic and individual valuation
of every item in the collection, as required by our Auditors. We have
about 30,000 things in house museums and galleries across the state from
Tenterfield to Yass, Dubbo to Darling Point. Some collections have 67
items, others have over 5000, like Saumarez Homestead in Armidale. 

 

In the past we have had our collections valued on a rotating basis,
house by house, object by object - although in pre database days, all
the most valuable and significant were valued, not every fork. But now
with the assistance of our new Vernon database we do every single object
- forks n all - and it is surprisingly fast and efficient, with two
teams of two - a valuer and collections person together. We do room by
room,  with descriptive lists in accession # order and have luckily
worked with valuers with decades of experience. Almost everything can
have a value, and it all adds up to tens of thousands more when every
itty bitty object is done. 

 

Yes, we think it is worth having replacement value insurance for the
irreplaceable  - as something is better than nothing. We repair first of
course if viable. We can also negotiate to get some thing like to the
same value but different. 

 

We have similar regional significance questions. Here is an example we
had a few years ago at Miss Traill's House in Bathurst which is full of
her things. A pair of her opera glasses were safely put in a box during
cleaning and forgot to come out again, so we thought for a minute they
had been stolen. When we discussed replacing them the conversation
turned away from "they were hers" to a broader chat about who Miss
Traill was, and what bigger picture does the place as a whole talk about
in relation to a wider Australian History, the kind of women she was in
her era, class etc. Is it an important part of who she was? We decided
to replace with like, with insurance, and then we found them - but an
interesting exercise for a minute. 

 

If you took your horses hooves out of WA and sent them on a world tour,
they would have/generate significance and interest to a huge variety of
people for just as many reasons, some a little unpredictable...  

 

I hope this helps, 

 

Melissa

 

Melissa Neidorf

Registrar

Museums & Properties 

National Trust of Australia (NSW)

 

Watson Road, Observatory Hill Sydney NSW 2000 

GPO Box 518 Sydney NSW 2001

Ph:  +61 2 9258 0180 Fax: +61 2 9251 1110

mneidorf at nsw.nationaltrust.org.au
<mailto:mneidorf at nsw.nationaltrust.org.au> 

www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au <http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/> 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: FERREIRA Su [mailto:Su.Ferreira at fesa.wa.gov.au] 
Sent: Thursday, 17 January 2008 1:46 PM
To: k at preservationaustralia.com.au; Merle Hathaway; CAN Talk
Subject: [can-talk] Insuring Historical colelcitons

 

Good morning all, (those of you on the western sea board I guess!!)

 

I have a question... it is concerned with the complex issue of insuring
historical collections and if so to what level?  Insurance being part of
the overall framework of disaster planning and preparedness I would
gratefully receive anyone's comments or opinions on insurance. 

 

Is it worth insuring something you cannot replace if stolen or
destroyed?

Does anyone use the a level of insurance that provides cover for repair
and restoration only?  If the objects survives a disaster, that costs
are covered to clean up and restore.

How do you value an object in financial terms which holds only local
heritage value and provenance.... like horses hooves taken from a fire
brigade horse as a memento post mortem? 

 

Any comments????

 

Cheers

Susan Ferreira 
Curator/Project Manager 
FESA Community Hazard Awareness Centre & Museum 
Community Development 
Fire & Emergency Services Authority of WA 

Phone: 9323 9460 
Fax: 9323 9495 
Mbl: 0409 719 032 
email: su.ferreira at fesa.wa.gov.au 
www.fesa.wa.gov.au 

Street - 25 Murray Street Perth WA 
Postal - PO Box P1174 WA 6844 

FESA Museum Redevelopment Project - Supporting WA State Sustainability
Strategy: conserving cultural heritage and helping to build sustainable
and resilient communities.

	 

	-----Original Message-----
	From: can-talk-bounces at collectionsaustralia.net
[mailto:can-talk-bounces at collectionsaustralia.net] On Behalf Of Kay
Soderlund
	Sent: Thursday, 17 January 2008 8:06 AM
	To: 'Merle Hathaway'; 'CAN Talk'
	Subject: Re: [can-talk] Censorship

	I fully agree with your sentiments Merle. It seems to me that
the change in format from one discussion list on AMOL to the several
different lists on CAN has resulted in a marked lessening of any type of
discussion. A once vibrant and informative list on AMOL has turned into
a notice board of events and job postings. I can't remember the last
interesting discussion that came up on CAN-talk. Perhaps it is time to
re-consider the format and go back to just one list to deal with all
communication needs?

	 

	Kay Soderlund

	Preservation Australia

	 

	
  _____  


	From: can-talk-bounces at collectionsaustralia.net
[mailto:can-talk-bounces at collectionsaustralia.net] On Behalf Of Merle
Hathaway
	Sent: Wednesday, 16 January 2008 12:12 PM
	To: CAN Talk
	Subject: [can-talk] Censorship

	 

	As it is early in the year, and I'm not yet too busy to deal
with this little irritation, I'll air it now. So could this please go
through for comment by those CAN talk is supposed to serve - us, the
subscribers. 

	 

	Since Can Talk replaced the AMOL listing I've tried several
times to make comments, only to be told by the "gatekeeper" that my
comments were not appropriate or should be elsewhere. 

	 

	I've always considered this a forum, especially useful for
people like me who are isolated from their colleagues and remote from
the large centres. Over the years I have really enjoyed the camaraderie
we had. But our little chats and comments have now gone. There's little
"talk".

	 

	I know we are all busy, and no-one appreciates being bombarded
by trivia, but really, if the only comments allowed relate to obscure
pieces of farm machinery, knitted doilies etc, then it becomes too dry
and discouraging of discussion.

	 

	What do you think?

	 

	regards

	m

	 

	Merle Hathaway
	Director
	Horsham Regional Art Gallery
	80 Wilson Street, Horsham, Victoria 3400, Australia
	(03) 5362 2880 t  (03) 5382 5407 f
	Work mobile: 0447 595455
	www.horshamartgallery.com.au

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