You've probably seen this, but in case you haven't -- from our FAQ:

I'm interested in insuring my collection.  How should I go about it?

"The main difficulty in insuring a D&D collection is that most insurance companies require you to show "evidence of value" before they will insure.  Unfortunately, there's a notable lack of qualified D&D appraisers -- to be officially certified as an appraiser, you have to have worked professionally in the field of appraising for a number of years; sort of a chicken-and-egg dilemma.  A State Farm employee had this to say: "Contact a bookstore (preferably a used bookstore) and tell them that you need to know the estimated value of the books for insurance purposes.  Get something in writing if you can.  According to our claims office, various bookstores have a system that they use to determine the value of rare and out-of-print books (because they have to be able to price them for resale in most cases) and this evidence can be used to support an insurance claim.  At least, it satisfies State Farm."  Most likely, the valuation that the bookstore conducts will be based on either eBay or The Acaeum -- either way, you'll have what you need."

In any case, I'd be interested in any success stories out there, so we can update this FAQ entry!

Foul

FoulFoot wrote in Collection Insurance:"Contact a bookstore (preferably a used bookstore) and tell them that you need to know the estimated value of the books for insurance purposes.  Get something in writing if you can.  According to our claims office, various bookstores have a system that they use to determine the value of rare and out-of-print books (because they have to be able to price them for resale in most cases) and this evidence can be used to support an insurance claim. "

Recommend getting Half-Price Books to estimate your collection value - you'll be a millionaire for sure!

This thought goes completely contrary to the purpose of this site, but after looking over my entire collection of collectibles, I decided to down-size.  I had way more than I could use or read over many years, so I have been selling off bits I didn't want over the past couple of years.  There were some higher priced items, but mostly piddly stuff I could pick up again later if I wanted.  I've sold off about five long-boxes of collectibles so far, and have about one more long box to go.  While there is arguably some losses of time and money in this transfer, particularly if I re-buy anything, there are gains in space and less work in maintaining and insuring what I have left.  The point I am trying to make is that having less to insure is an approach to insuring.  So far, I have no regrets.  Possessions can possess.  I am not saying this approach is for everyone; to each his own.  

Badmike wrote in Collection Insurance:I got a lot of recommendations offline for Chubb insurance, several collectors use that insurance, I'm going to check with them soon. Thanks!

Would be curious to hear more about the quotes that they give you Mike (or from others), in terms of premium per $10K or $25K of insurance (whatever the standard is, I suppose), if you don't mind sharing?

Allan.

TheHistorian wrote in Collection Insurance:Yes. Collectibles Insurance specializes in this. I've had them for years and been happy. Then again, I've never had to file a claim, which is the real test of an insurance company.

"The payment of my seemingly reasonable premiums has gone swimmingly well!"

A quick google search reveals that Collectibles Insurance is rated A+ from the BBB, while Yelp rates them at 1 star, with only two reviews.

There are also some message board threads about them, at a glance it appears they are generally reliable in paying out claims, but at least a couple folks saw a claim paid, but then weren't allowed to renew their policy. And some weren't happy for other reasons. Anyways, definitely enough info out there to make an informed decision.

I use USAA for most of my standard insurance needs, and after seeing this thread, did some poking around and they also insure collections specifically.  I would imagine most major property insurance companies probably do the same, or would allow you to put your collection under your home owner's policy.

TheHistorian wrote in Collection Insurance:Yes. Collectibles Insurance specializes in this. I've had them for years and been happy. Then again, I've never had to file a claim, which is the real test of an insurance company.

I've had them for years as well... Never had to file a claim either knock on wood.

They have a rider which automatically increases the coverage yearly, with a corresponding increase in premium.  This is good for anyone actively adding items to collection or any increase in value that may occur.

Disco

Hmmm Interesting. My collection is insured with a rider on my homeowner's insurance.

My experience is that there will be a limit of insurability for items in a third party storage unit. Amounts vary, but I've seen in the neighborhood of $80-150k. Obviously, you'd have to talk to insurance companies to find out more specifically. If it's of more value than that, you could split it and get two policies or maybe store it with a friend.

Bump

I'm working on insurance for my collection and want to find this thread later.
Please add any new info you may have.

Mike