Last weekend I finally bought a very sturdy double tier rack for my WWII uniforms. It's finally great to have them all mostly in one place now and they look great lined up by division and branch.

 

Now I would like tag and catalog my uniforms for ease of IDing them off the rack and for cataloging purposes.

 

I would like to know what you use to tag your uniforms, where do you suggest I hand them from and what kind of info you put on them.

 

Also Dealers, how do you keep your uniforms IDed?

 

Any other info that would be helpful would be appreciated.

 

Thank You!

 

LF

I use the large card stock tags you can get at hardware stores, have to have the string ties. I then will compile a short history about the person: Name, Rank, Areas of Service, Years etc on the computer. I format to where when printed I can neatly cut it out and staple it (two sides or four) to the tag. Looks really neat and professional and then I either tie it on a cuff button or lower front button. When I take the uniforms to be exhibited at a show the wording is large enough to be read by passerbys. At least it will always be with the uniform. Computers fail and files get lost.

Awesome! Could I see a picture?

 

LF

I fill out a form with all the information, price, insignia missing, added, etc. I then put a control number on the form and write it on a 3X5 card and put the card in a pocket. A have a file folder with the forms. Also be sure to write down any moth holes so you will be aware if new ones pop up.

Thanks for the info!

Every artifact that lands in the house is tagged, numbered, and entered into hard copy inventory. I use a 1" by 3/4" paper tag on a looped string that can be purchased at Staples or an equivalent office supply depot. The tag has a category number based on what the artifact is, and on the back is very basic model. maker, year info. The uniforms have just model, year, and unit attribution. I use archival safe pens for entering info on the tag, and allow the suggested drying time of the ink before placing the tag on the artifact.

Details of the artifact are entered into a hard copy binder with sheets printed out to fit all the data I want. I also have an MS Excel spreadsheet designed which contains all pertinent information on every artifact in the collection, including purchase cost and current estimated value. The dollar amounts are linked to another spreadsheet which totals all the numbers into a grand total investment and value spreadsheet. My last update July 7th registers 4570 items in the collection, not counting books. It is imperative that I keep hyper accurate records of the materiel in the collection for future reference.

Depending on the type, and size of index card you are thinking of using, you should consider archival quality card-stock. As well as acid-free non-transferable ink in the pens used to fill out the data on the card. The last thing you want is to have ink smudges transferred to your artifacts from the cards. An archival grade transparent sleeve would eliminate any issues. I will mention that this information came from the archivist of our local museum, which happens to be affiliated with the Canadian Museums association. It is a professional level museum following standardized preservation, and archival techniques. The curator, archivist, and preservationist visited "My Mini Museum" and suggested improvements in archival storage and preservation of antique artifacts (uniforms, documents, equipment). Most suggestions I had already implemented.

I tag every id'd item in the collection with the same tag/string combination that you buy at staples. Side note; When I went to Office Max to purchase these tags, the clerk couldn't figure out what I was describing. Finally he looked at me and said "Oh! You want the toe tags!"

 

Excel spreadsheets with the basic serviceman's data is my primary way to store data. Name, Rank Unit, Svc Number, etc. From there, I hyperlink the spreadsheet entry to a folder where I have stored the photos of the item, scans of the service record, scans of newspaper articles, and any other information pertaining to the vet or their unit.

 

I am working on changing the way the data is accessed in my computer however. Instead of a spreadsheet, I am trying a pdf "book" that is hyper-linked. It is still a work in progress, but it gives me more options. For example, my excel spreadsheet is broken down into wars. One tab for Span-Am, WWI, WWII, etc. By creating a book, I can have pages with the vet's name alphabetically, or by war, or by theater, or whatever. As I said though, this is a work in progress.

 

I have also experimented with PowerPoint presentations of each group. Name of the vet at the top of page, photo of the items and description. Haven't gotten too far with this though.