Categories and judgement
What belongs together?
A category can be as broad as Australian design or as precise as watches made for scientific work. The useful boundary is the one that sharpens your eye. Begin with materials, makers, dates and intended use; then note the exceptions that continue to hold your attention. A collection becomes coherent through repeated judgement, not rigid completeness.
Before buying, write a one-sentence reason the object belongs. If that sentence relies only on price or prestige, the brief needs more work.
Evidence and rarity
Can the story travel with the object?
Provenance is a chain of evidence, not a romantic anecdote. Receipts, dated photographs, catalogues, workshop marks, exhibition labels and correspondence carry different weight. Gaps do not automatically disqualify an object, but they should change confidence, price and future claims.
Rarity matters only alongside relevance and condition. A scarce variation with weak demand may be less resilient than a well-documented example of a recognised form.
Emotion, value and care
What are you actually preserving?
Emotional value can sit apart from market value and still deserve a rigorous record. Write down who used an object, why it stayed, and what you hope a future custodian understands. For investment thinking, separate comparable sales from asking prices, allow for fees and maintenance, and avoid assuming that past appreciation will continue.
Authentication, valuation, storage and insurance form one care system. A report becomes stale; a box may be chemically unsuitable; cover may depend on an updated schedule. Review the system after major acquisitions, moves or changes in condition.