Scheduling Is Where Coverage Becomes Real
You can buy a collectibles policy in an afternoon, but a policy is only as good as the schedule behind it. "Scheduling" a collection means documenting and listing your pieces so each is insured for an agreed value — and doing it well is the difference between a fast, fair claim and a frustrating one. Here's how to do it right.
Step 1: Inventory Everything
Start with a complete inventory. Walk the collection and record every meaningful piece:
- Category (sign, pump, globe, can, automobilia)
- Brand, model, era
- Condition / grade
- Where and when you bought it, and for how much
A spreadsheet is fine. The goal is one row per piece you'd want paid for.
Step 2: Photograph It
Photograph each significant item from multiple angles, including backs, maker's marks, globes, and any damage. Photos do two jobs: they support value at claim time and they prove ownership and condition before a loss.
Step 3: Value the Collection
Values come from three places, in increasing rigor:
- Recent comparable sales for common, well-traded pieces
- Dealer opinions for mid-value items
- Formal appraisals for the rarest, highest-value standouts
Don't guess on the headline pieces — an appraisal is cheap insurance for your insurance.
Step 4: Choose Scheduled vs. Blanket
Most collections use both:
- Schedule the standouts — the rare die-cut, the museum-grade pump, the one-piece globe — individually at agreed value.
- Blanket the broader run of common cans, tins, and lesser signs under a single shared limit.
This keeps documentation manageable while making sure the valuable pieces are covered to the dollar.
Step 5: Set Limits That Reflect Real Value
Under-scheduling to save a little premium backfires at claim time. Insure pieces at honest, documented values, and revisit the schedule as the market moves and as you buy and sell.
Step 6: Keep It Current
Update your schedule whenever you make a significant purchase or sale, and review it at each renewal. A collection is a living thing; your coverage should track it.
We Do This With You
Scheduling a collection sounds like work — and it's the part we handle alongside every collector we insure. We'll help you inventory, value, document, and structure scheduled and blanket limits so your petroliana is covered for what it's actually worth. [Start a quote](/quote) and we'll build the schedule together.