Moving Your Most Precious Possessions

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pixabay

All of us have precious possessions.  In fact, that’s one of the most obvious reasons to move, so we have more room for yet more stuff.  That being said, there are those of us who are better at collecting valuables than others.  Whether your obsession is art, fine wine or other collectibles, when it comes time to move them, special care needs to be taken to ensure they arrive safe and sound.  Being a professional mover means I can offer those of you who like to accumulate these treasures a leg up on the best way to pack them away safely.

Art Objects

Whether your art collection contains masterpieces or merely paintings by local talent, one of the first mistakes most people make when transporting paintings is to wrap it with newspaper.  Newspaper ink rubs off all too easily.  This means it can wind up transferred onto your artwork.  A better bet is to invest in a roll of bubble wrap.  Also make sure the box you have chosen to contain your paintings is sufficient to protect them once wrapped.  The best way to transport artwork is to keep the frames on, then wrap them tightly, nesting them back to back.  This will keep the bubble wrap from coming into contact with any painted surfaces.  If you want to put more than 2 paintings in the same box, make sure you put a piece of fiberboard between 2 frames of equal size, before repeating the process above.  If you intend to transport paintings without frames, you need to invest in a box that has foam padding designed to transport art without damage.  You can find these shippers online or at art stores.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Statues and sculptures can be even more daunting to move due to their weight and fragility.  Unlike paintings, sculptures and statues come in all shapes, sizes and materials.  This means you need to evaluate each piece separately in order to plan how best to pack it.  While smaller statues and sculptures are generally easier to pack than larger pieces, if the statue is made of glass or porcelain, these can be extremely fragile.  The best way to pack these is to put bubble wrap on the bottom of a plastic or wooden crate, stand the statue upright and then fill the box with plastic peanuts, topping it off with a layer of bubble wrap.  Make sure you shake the box to ascertain that the statue can’t move around in the crate.

Larger pieces really need to be packed with expanding foam, such as this example on YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMLYQnz8Zk8

If you really do have masterpieces, I have 3 suggestions:

1.      Photograph the artwork before you pack them for transport

2.      Hire a mover to pack and transport your artwork

3.      Insure them

Are You a Wine Lover?

Image courtesy of flickr

If you own a wine cellar, or have an extensive collection of fine wine, there are several words of warning I can provide.  Wine doesn’t like vibration, nor can it tolerate temperature extremes.  This means you need to avoid moving it in the summer, unless you want to invest in a refrigerated truck.  You also need to take care when packing your wine that they are either laid on their side, or shipped upside down so the corks stay moist.  Put a layer or 2 of bubble wrap on the bottom of the box to keep wine from experiencing bottle shock that can occur from rattling around in the back of a truck.  Just as with fine art, if your wine collection contains rare vintages, make sure you insure them. 

Record Collections

Just as with wine, vinyl records can’t tolerate heat.  This means if you intend of moving them during the dog days of summer, you need to transport them in an airconditioned car or van as opposed to a moving truck.  Just as with any other precious possession, make sure the container you choose to transport them in can take a beating.  This means avoid cardboard boxes at all cost.  It is far better to buy or rent a plastic crate then to arrive at your new home only to discover your record collection is in pieces.  As always, let your movers know in advance about anything fragile or perishable you intend for them to move.

Collectibles

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Vintage toys can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars apiece.  Therefore, you need to treat them as you would any other valuable.  This means taking care to pack them with care in waterproof, crushproof containers that are well padded on both top and bottom. Use plenty of bubble wrap and avoid the use of cardboard boxes at all costs.  These are far too fragile to protect anything of real value.  Just as with other valuables, make sure you photograph and insure these prized possessions before you wrap them for transport.

If you have taken the time and money to needed to assemble a valuable collection of any kind, my advice is to let the experts both pack and move them, as opposed to doing it yourself.  The few extra dollars you spend will more than offset the substantial amount of money you are out if any of your precious possessions are damaged or destroyed in transit. 

If you want to move your prized possessions, call Scott Boone at Scott’s Discount Movers.  With over 4,000 moves, Scott Boone has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.