Item Provenance and Documentation Sheet
Record the history of a single item and where its paperwork lives, including the gaps, so the chain is not reconstructed from memory by somebody else later.
CV-02 2 pages
Collecting and valuables · CV-01
Collection Inventory and Valuation Record
A free printable collection inventory — item, maker, marks, condition, acquisition, price paid and recorded valuation, with photograph references.
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One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Itemise a collection properly, so that identification, acquisition and any valuation exist somewhere other than in your head.
Who it is for
Collectors of anything with value — coins, stamps, watches, records, memorabilia, art, instruments — and executors trying to work out what is in a house.
How to use it
- Number each item and put the number on the storage, not on the item.
- Photograph every piece including marks and damage, and record the filename here.
- Describe the condition in your own words as well as any grade, since grading standards differ between fields and between graders.
- Record who valued it and when — a valuation without a date is not much use.
- Keep the completed sheet somewhere other than with the collection.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: An itemised record of a collection — what each piece is, how it is identified, what was paid, and what a valuer said it was worth and when.
We record valuations, we do not make them. No values, grades or authentication guidance are printed here, and none are implied. A valuation is one professional's opinion on one date. Insurers set their own requirements for what they will accept, so ask yours before relying on any record.
How to use this sheet
- Number each item and mark the number on the storage, not on the item.
- Photograph every piece, including marks and damage, and note the filename here.
- Record the condition in your own words as well as any grade — grading standards differ.
- Keep this sheet somewhere other than with the collection.
Write-on lines: Collection · Owner · Sheet
Table, 9 rows: No. · Description · Maker or artist · Year or edition · Marks or serial · Condition · Acquired from · Date · Paid · Valued at · Photo ref · Location
Questions
Will this satisfy my insurer?
That is a question for your insurer, and they set their own requirements. Ask before you rely on any record. What this sheet does is make sure the information exists at all, which is the part people leave until it is too late.
Why does the sheet not help me value things?
Because a valuation is one professional's opinion on one date, in one market, and nothing printed on a form can supply it. The sheet records what a valuer told you.
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