Antique and Collectibles National Association

http://www.antiqueandcollectible.com/

When we begin collecting as children we are excited to get a pack of baseball cards on our birthday. I still remember taking every Phillies card out of the pack and placing it in a nicely kept protective sleeve in my three-ring binder - throwing future Hall of Famers into a pile which was eventually scattered around the house.  As I grew older and began earning my own paycheck, I started to buy more expensive items - team photos, balls, autographs, etc.  And as my collection grew I started to look around my room and notice that my collection not only holds sentimental value, but it also has monetary value, too!

I recently had a conversation with a "Phillies Collector" reader who had found himself in the same position - and I listened closely as he told me how he got his collection insured with Antiques and Collectibles, National Association (ACNA). So I did some research and found they are an "A" rated insurance company with clients across the United States. I called over there and talked to Steven Becker about the company and how their insurance policies work. He explained to me his company insures collections of antiques, glassware, pottery and sports memorabilia - including signed items, pennants, game used items and anything else of value.

How It Works

The program was designed to provide comprehensive coverage to collectors who don't want to go through the expense or hassle of having their collection covered by traditional insurance companies.  Some benefits of insuring through ACNA are:

  • Unlike most traditional insurance programs through brokers like State Farm, ACNA does not require your collection to be professionally appraised. Instead, collectors:
    • Create an inventory of all items in their collection (Excel will do)
    • Take photos as proof of ownership - you'll need them to make a claim
    • Value your own collection to help set coverage needs
  • No automatic annual coverage limit increases
    • As your collection increases or decreases, work with ACNA to make the appropriate changes to your coverage.
    • It is important to provide updated inventories, and make necessary adjustments to ensure coverage.
  • In the event of a loss, the collector works with ACNA to ensure current market value (as of the time of the loss) is claimed.
    • You don't want have a collectible insured for its value from 2005 only to realize it was now worth three times as much.
    • Use your photos. You can't claim you have Mike Schmidt's 1980 World Series jersey and try to collect on it unless there is visual proof. Large pictures of your wall are accepted so you don't have to tear everything down for individual photos.

How To Find Out More

If you are interested you can email Steven Becker at steven@acna.us. Tell him you heard about his business from the Phillies Collector!

Note: Antiques and Collectibles National Association is a sponsor of The Phillies Collector.  However, this is not a paid advertisement.