Moving Day! Plan first, pack second

For the third time in my adult life I’ve had to move my collection of militaria. This latest move was the easiest, but it still wasn’t (isn’t I should say, as I write this as it is ongoing) easy. It required carefully packing items, transporting everything from point A to point B and then setting it all back up.

It is like preparing for a large military collectibles show like the Ohio Valley Military Society’s annual Show of Shows, but on a bigger scale. Plus, I had to do this while worrying about the TV, bed, computer, dishes, etc. It is easy to see why it is said that moving is one of the most stressful things you can do.

The past two moves came with challenges.

My wife and I moved from a too-small apartment in New York City to a larger apartment. It was less than two miles, but was a massive undertaking as I had just two days from the time we closed on the new residence to physically move the items, while also having shelves installed.

Alas, two years later, our situation changed and we moved out of the city to the Midwest. That meant packing up my collection of helmets, headgear and uniforms. Some of the more expensive and fragile items we drove out, the rest went into multiple boxes.

This time we moved about 15 minutes from one house to another. The good news is that we were able to take our time, but it still presented extra hassles. My former collecting room was in a basement, while the new space is on the second story. I’ve probably climbed the Empire State Building twice just bringing boxes up the stairs, and I have yet to tackle my massive library of books. I need to stress I’m also 13 years older than the last move, and I’m feeling every bit of it.

Recently I made a horrifying discovery. When I moved to that larger apartment I bought a sleek type of track shelving that was very adaptable to my collection. In the move to the Midwest – and a basement for my collection – I had to modify the track shelves using these fantastic spring-loaded columns. Now that I am moving the collection to the second floor, I discovered the poles are too short for the new room. I also found out after calling the installer from all those years ago, as well as the company that makes the shelving system, that they’re meant to be next to a wall despite being “freestanding.” As I plan to have the shelves flanked by Ikea cabinets — the ones that many collectors so love — I realized this was a bad idea in the truest sense. I ended up having to build a wall frame to mount the shelves, and of course a normal wall is 16 inches on center. My shelves are 66 inches. But I managed accordingly.

What I learned from these three moves — and which I’m passing on — is that moving a collection should begin with planning. In my case, my wife and I needed to move for a few reasons, but we also looked at houses that would offer me the space for my collection.

I have given great consideration to where everything will go. Unfortunately, there is what I’d like, and what the budget will allow, as all moves result in endless spending!

So part of building my dream collectible room is in understanding that it won’t be done immediately. I have a six-week plan, as in where I hope the room will be finished in six weeks; and a six-month plan, in how I know what cabinets, racks, etc. I’ll be purchasing in the coming months.

I also had to consider where items would be stored while organizing the new room. Fortunately I was able to keep some of it at the old house, safely locked up. Other items had to go into the new finished basement. That meant that efforts to put up the storage units, install the home theater/game room and set up the exercise room had to wait. There was no time for movies or games and I was already getting plenty of exercise from going up and down stairs, but the point is don’t just bring everything into the space or else there is no room to unpack.

The other part of the planning is knowing how to properly pack and transport items. When dealing with any fragile collectible, this needs to be considered in advance. Almost nothing went with the movers. If I could lift it and had room to take it, I brought it myself.

I hate to admit it, but there is a difference between packing for Show Of Shows and packing my collection. We’ve all seen the bins on handcarts that are loaded to the brim. That’s not how I moved my collection. It will also make me rethink how I pack for the shows in the future. The greatest care needs to be taken whenever possible.

The final consideration in this latest move is why I bought some items! This didn’t include just the militaria, but the cabinets and other items.

I had a rifle rack that I ended up giving away. It had been in the storage room.

The hardest part wasn’t even bringing the helmets or other items to the new house. It was the Ikea glass cabinets. Over the years I’ve bought so many, it seems like they multiplied like rabbits. They are an affordable option for displaying a collection, but they’re heavy and as fragile as anything in my collection.

That’s another consideration of planning: Would I have bought eight Detolf cabinets, or 16 Billy cabinets?

Probably yes, but I might not have bought the Yugoslavian M69 mortar at the OVMS Wilmington Show in June. In fairness, I didn’t know we’d decide to move just weeks later, but it is an item that may not fit in the new space. Like a few other items, it may be on my tables at SOS.

Moving is a good time to decide what no longer fits the collection. With the money, I could buy a few more Ikea cabinets – plus more items for my collection – that I hope not to ever move again!