Have you ever checked the insurance coverage your home owners policy affords you regarding your insulator collection? If you are not a home owner, you will be checking your home renters policy. Either way, this subject is very important, and well worth your immediate attention.

Most of us assume our collection is insured. Our home owners policy provides insurance for personal property -- right? Since our collection is part of our personal property, it is automatically covered -- right? Well ---- MAYBE! I say that because you could be in big trouble if you have not inquired.

Let me tell you what I learned during the writing of this article. Before I organized my thoughts, I spent some time on the telephone talking with insurance agents. I did this to determine if different companies had different requirements for insuring collectibles. The responses from all agents can be summed up in the following statement: You must prove that you owned it, before you lost it! 

So how does one go about this? The most obvious answer is to inquire with your particular agent. If you have not yet done this, call the agent and request an appointment in your home. Get the agent to your house and show him your collection. Arm yourself with the Milholland book and the Keating price guide. Show him how we have classified insulators within the CD system, and use two or three of your most valuable specimens as examples. Look the values up in the price guide, and make sure he understands what you are saying. The reason I say this is that many outsiders have no appreciation of the monetary value of rare insulators.

It is very likely your agent will make two immediate recommendations. Photograph your collection, and make up a complete written inventory. Every one of us displays our collection differently, so it would be impossible for me to give you directions regarding how these photos should be taken. But I can offer these suggestions: 

1. Use a good camera and color film. If you have no photographic expertise or equipment, perhaps a friend or relative can help. 
2. Take photographs of a general nature first. By this I mean to include as many insulators as possible in each shot. But with each ensuing photo, make sure to overlap just a little from the previous one. Also try to include a few unrelated objects which are individual only to your home, such as a grandfather clock in the background, or even the view outside a window. 
3. Now move in and get closer to the collection. You will have to concentrate on a smaller number of pieces, but you will start picking up details and be able to recognize most individual insulator shapes. Again, overlap each photo just a little.
4. Next move in very close for high detail shots. The distance from lens to shelf should be approximately 24 inches. Now your photographs will show definite details, such as embossing, presence or absence of drip points, even some degrees of damage. If you have a very large collection, you may not care to mortgage it in order to buy the large amount of needed film. Perhaps you could do some re-positioning of your most valuable pieces. If these could be centralized into one smaller section of your display, the number of photos needed to prove ownership will be greatly reduced. Do not be surprised if each high detail shot includes as few as twelve insulators. Be sure to again overlap slightly. The reason for this over-lapping is reference. It makes referring to adjoining photos much easier. Also, the overlapping provides visual proof that all photographs are indeed of your collection.

After your photographs have been developed, separate out the close-ups and number each one on the back side. The close-up shots are the ones you will use to make up your written inventory. Each photo number will have its own corresponding number for the inventory sheet. List each insulator on each photo, making sure to include CD number, embossing, type of drip points (if any), color, condition, and value. 

After you have completed this monumental task, there remains one more essential procedure. Find a safe place to keep your photos and inventory. These are business records, so your safe deposit box would be a good suggestion.

Now you can rest easy. Your collection has been photographed, inventoried, and the resultant records safely stored. Therefore, your collection is fully insured -- right? WRONG! Let's say your sister, brother-in-law, and their three year old child drop by for a visit. They are not keeping good track of their child, and he bumps into one of your shelves. Your bright yellow H.G. Co. beehive falls to the floor and shatters. What do you do? You patiently pick the child up and carry him back into the living room, where you re-deposit him with his mother. Then you proceed to beat the tar out of your brother-in-law! No -- wait, you can't do that. You call your insurance agent and register a loss claim for 100 dollars. That's the value of the beehive. Then your agent reminds you that your home owners policy has a demand deductible of 100 dollars. So, a 100 dollar claim, minus the 100 dollar deductible, equals --- SORRY! It would be the same result if you came home some day and found that the beehive had fallen off the shelf and broken without any direct human involvement. Maybe the cause was traffic vibrations. That's a breakage claim, and it also carries the demand deductible. That deductible will be required with any claim, whether it arises from fire, wind, flood, earthquake or voodoo! 

I also learned that some insurance companies offer other types of policies that carry a deductible by choice, not by demand. One agent described a specialized policy which covers collectibles. This agent consulted his information book and read me some of the almost endless list of collectibles this policy covered. With this policy there is no deductible on claims. The price for this policy was ten dollars per thousand valuation per year. There are many factors that might effect a person's final decision regarding purchase of such a policy. I mention it so you will be aware of its availability and its more effective coverage. You may wish to inquire into similar specialized policies your company offers. One factor that would affect your final decision regards policy exclusions. The time to inquire about exclusions is while you are weighing your options. If you live in earthquake country, does your policy provide protection against such a hazard? Or does it specifically exclude these claims? If you live in a low area that is subject to periodic flooding, your policy may not cover losses from rising water. If you have any questions, read your policy carefully, or ask your agent.

Now let's backtrack for a minute to your inventory. In the future we can expect insulator values to change, and this will be reflected in new price guides. When this happens, make certain to update the values on your inventory. Also, do not feel duty bound to accept the suggested prices in the book. If you feel the book's valuation is unreasonably low, use a valuation you consider current and fair. But if a future claim arises, you may have to defend your opinion regarding values.

Also remember to remove any items you sell or trade. If you relinquish ownership of a piece, it should no longer be included on your inventory sheet. Conversely, new additions to your collection will need photographing. You may choose to photograph these once a year, instead of doing it every time you add a new piece. Whatever you choose to do is fine, just so it gets done.

If you are like most people, you occasionally do some comparative shopping for the best insurance deal available. You do not automatically renew with the same company year after year. Therefore, if you do change companies, remember that your coverage may change, too. Do not assume your coverage will be the same.

As I conclude this article, I would like to request input from other subscribers. Has anyone had the experience of filing a loss claim for an insulator collection? Or even a portion of a collection? How was this claim resolved? Perhaps someone in our hobby is an insurance agent. If so, I think everyone would like to hear this person's comments. Please write and share your knowledge.