New War Room - You can help!

[Rigormortis]

Hey Vegar and folks of the forum, I'm just a newb to the militaria thing but have collected antiques for a while and heres my opinions on storage and display of items. Firstly if you have a rather valuable and large collection of items then proper storage is essential to keep items as preserved as possible for to maximize resale value,or for passing on to family members your collection and foremost to preserve these irreplaceable items of history because once they're destroyed or damaged they usually are forever. Proper storage and displaycan be almost as expensive as items themselves, but a commonly overlooked thing sometimes. Bottom line you just about get what you pay for,and IMO cheap is not the way to go. If you have the luxury of designing room for storage & display & budget as well here's what i would do. get dark curtains if a natural light window is present as well as install UV filtering film on window.Temp & humidity are crucial factors to consider especially for uniforms,cloth items,flags, etc. maintain even & constant humidity & temp.(consider where vents are if central AC is used & keep objects or direct airflow away from items),use filters & change often on air appliances(consider air purifier in room)dust can be problem.Avoid carpet if poss. can house insects & dust,install pest traps(sticky simple ones not chemical)to monitor pests especially silverfish.Get humidity & light sensors or handheld testers to monitor those.Get uv light filters to cover flourescent bulbs, I could see some nice standing display cases against back wall & really like someones idea of giant war map table in center of room w display glass, that would be sweet. Just remember to let room if newly built air out before putting collection in. Would want light motion sensors so when not in room it be kept dark as possible,rotate display items regularly so items arent always subject to display conditions.No food or drinks in display room is a good idea along with locking UV protecting display cases.Wouldnt keep anything out in open without case or protection over it. Only my opinions from personal experiences though. Nothing more heart ripping then discovering item damaged or ruined from improper storage or display.Wouldnt wish that feeling on anyone so hopefully something useful for you here. Good luck & would love to see completed pics when done!heres a cool site with some good items for display and storage ( get past the absurdly high prices & site name and you might find some useful ideas) Archival Exhibit Museum Cases, Pedestals & Vitrines | Gaylord Archival

[James C]

to maximise space why not use the window reveal spaces for shelving i know it might darken the room a little but will make it more private and give it more atmosphere just a thought also what about a false ceiling made from an old ww2 parachute or something now that would look the part good luck with the project james

[Vegard T]

I've spent the last days packing up the rest of my collection and dismantling the shelves(Giving most of them away).
Result:

Before I started:










"Finished":

[Vegard T]

Hey Vegar and folks of the forum, I'm just a newb to the militaria thing but have collected antiques for a while and heres my opinions on storage and display of items. Firstly if you have a rather valuable and large collection of items then proper storage is essential to keep items as preserved as possible for to maximize resale value,or for passing on to family members your collection and foremost to preserve these irreplaceable items of history because once they're destroyed or damaged they usually are forever. Proper storage and displaycan be almost as expensive as items themselves, but a commonly overlooked thing sometimes. Bottom line you just about get what you pay for,and IMO cheap is not the way to go. If you have the luxury of designing room for storage & display & budget as well here's what i would do. get dark curtains if a natural light window is present as well as install UV filtering film on window.Temp & humidity are crucial factors to consider especially for uniforms,cloth items,flags, etc. maintain even & constant humidity & temp.(consider where vents are if central AC is used & keep objects or direct airflow away from items),use filters & change often on air appliances(consider air purifier in room)dust can be problem.Avoid carpet if poss. can house insects & dust,install pest traps(sticky simple ones not chemical)to monitor pests especially silverfish.Get humidity & light sensors or handheld testers to monitor those.Get uv light filters to cover flourescent bulbs, I could see some nice standing display cases against back wall & really like someones idea of giant war map table in center of room w display glass, that would be sweet. Just remember to let room if newly built air out before putting collection in. Would want light motion sensors so when not in room it be kept dark as possible,rotate display items regularly so items arent always subject to display conditions.No food or drinks in display room is a good idea along with locking UV protecting display cases.Wouldnt keep anything out in open without case or protection over it. Only my opinions from personal experiences though. Nothing more heart ripping then discovering item damaged or ruined from improper storage or display.Wouldnt wish that feeling on anyone so hopefully something useful for you here. Good luck & would love to see completed pics when done!heres a cool site with some good items for display and storage ( get past the absurdly high prices & site name and you might find some useful ideas) Archival Exhibit Museum Cases, Pedestals & Vitrines | Gaylord Archival

What the...? Did you post this today or 4th june? I just got an email saying your reply was just posted and when I looked earlier, your reply wasn't on this page. I probably just missed it.

Anways:
Thank you so much for your reply, you've got a lot of great ideas. I don't have the highest budget, so I'm guessing it will mostly be things from Ikea. The windows will need to be covered up so no light sheds in(This is to keep the sun and peeping Toms away), might have a chance getting some UV film to go on the window if I'm lucky(My dad works in a firm that sets them up+ other things). I have been thinking of putting a display case in the middle(War-table like you said), but I am not sure about how much space I will have left after everything is set up. I move my items around a lot(Sometimes to switch the displays to see how it will look) so dust and filth won't gather that easily. Food, drinks and sweaty/greasy hands is a no-no in my "War room" and guests are told "Please don't touch anything without permission" before entering. Thanks for all the tips, and thanks for the link for inspiration!

[Vegard T]

So far, 99% of the collection has been transported(Pictures will come later), filled up pretty much the entire trailer. Tomorrow we're heading to Ikea to look for closets etc that would be nice for the collection, we will be picking up 3-4 of these, as I know a lot of you are familiar with:

[sunsetIE]

So far, 99% of the collection has been transported(Pictures will come later), filled up pretty much the entire trailer. Tomorrow we're heading to Ikea to look for closets etc that would be nice for the collection, we will be picking up 3-4 of these, as I know a lot of you are familiar with:

Finally someone mentions where they get those cases! Off to ikea this weekend!

[KMMorris]

Ikea has some good stuff to house military items, those glass cabinets were selling for $70 each down here in Australia.

[Vegard T]

I've had a really long day today, loads of shopping, moving around, putting together the displays, unpacking etc. I went to Ikea today, got 4 of the display cabinets and a different cabinet(see picture below)
Plans for tomorrow:
Move out the closet and bed in picture 5 and 6, set up a gun rack and maybe fiddle a bit with the displays.
I'm very satisfied with the result, if I could only get some mannequins, the room would be perfect.

[James C]

i like what i see so far, well done

[Vegard T]

I also brought a chest of drawers into the room which I might keep some medals, patches etc in. It is pretty fitting since it is Pre-war(Not sure of the date, but pretty sure it is Pre-1940s). With some cloth in the bottom of the drawers, I think it will be great:
Attachment 353664

Attachment 353667

Also: My sister sieged this chest of drawers(After I claimed it, she kidnapped it when I was not here), so I'll have to counterattack and get it back Don't think she knows that I claimed it, but I'll leave a note in it's place saying "MINE", hehe.