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Antiques,
art,
and other one of a kind items can be the most difficult to
care for. Not only are they fragile, but they can be extremely
tough to fix should something happen to them. Therefore, it’s
important that you always take great care of your antiques,
art, and other one of a kind items such as musical instruments.
There’s no time when it’s more important to protect
these prized possessions than when you're preparing for a
move. Moving can be stressful, as it entails packing up every
single of one of your possessions into boxes in preparation
of transporting them from one home to the other. All of your
belongings should be packed carefully, wrapped in bubble wrap
or newspaper and placed carefully into boxes. However, there
are extra precautions you should take while preparing your
antiques, art, and other one of a kind pieces.
1) Get an Appraisal
If you haven’t yet, you will want to hire an appraiser
to let you know the value of all of your antiques and other
fine goods before you move. You need to be aware of the value
of your personal property should anything happen to anything
you own. You may also need this information for your homeowner’s
insurance policy, so keep this in mind.
You can find a local appraiser by searching the local listings
in the phonebook, or by asking friends, family members, and
acquaintances for personal recommendations. Always make sure
that the appraiser you’re working with is certified
and that he or she holds the proper licenses.
2) Get a Protection Plan With Your
Movers
If you’re hiring movers, you will want to have knowledge
of what type of valuation will be necessary in order to protect
your antiques and fine art. A reputable
moving company should offer protection plans that you
may purchase to protect you against damages should anything
happen while your goods are in the moving company’s
hands.
Be sure to understand what your moving company defines as
items of “extraordinary value” and what regulations
exist around those items.
3) Have Items Professionally Cleaned
Before you pack up your antiques and art, consult a professional
about how to best clean the items in order to prepare them
for the move. Depending what you’re dealing with, there
may be special cleaning solutions that need to be used on
the piece.
A word to the wise — if you’re going to be packing
any of the pieces among other items, using oil or wax finishes
on wood just before packing them may result in the oil or
wax getting on other items. Make sure to plan when and how
you’re going to clean each item very carefully so that
you don’t risk damage to anything else.
4) Be Available on Moving Day
Either you or a representative needs to be present in order
to oversee the move and to let movers know of anything special
that needs to occur with regard to your items. Don’t
leave anything up to chance! |
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