Webbing Part I

I am beginning to think of where I might acquire credible information to answer my questions. I have been noticing several trends in the last couple years as far as popular media is impacting the antique collecting field--television programming such as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers has led to increased interest in WWII collectibles, and shows such as Pawn Stars and American Pickers on the History Channel have stirred interest in the antiques market. Google searches for information on preserving antiques reveals a field of personal and professional practices just as varied as the antiques themselves. To me, this variance and preserving a piece of history is what drives my interest, not the dollar signs underscoring the History Channel programming. But I digress.

Google returned a wide variety of tips on preserving antiques (which I broadly searched for initially). Many auction house/consignment firms offer tips, and private collector websites also do in their quest for sales. Firearms sales and collection websites also offer some tips. While museums themselves seldom have online information to showcase their practices, I have begun to locate a couple of sources mentioned in college museum program sites.

The first article I ran across is a 1993 article by the National Park Service on preserving museum collections. (review to follow soon) I then encountered one from the National WWII Museum that I found interesting. (review coming soon also).

I participate on several military antique collecting forums: Militaria Collecting Forum, US Militaria Forum, and Wehrmacht Awards Forum. These each have preservation sections that members contribute ideas and practices for preserving their collections. These are very interesting to read and vary greatly in the practices members recommend. I am seeking articles or links to journals or museum sites to begin with, before I delve into the process of analyzing individual collectors' tips.

That's all for tonight! More webbing soon.