How do you keep track of your collection?

Dan of Bazz Clazz said:
OCD as many of us are, I can't be the only one who has created a means of keeping track of the knives in my collection. So the question is, what do you use? Data base? Spread sheet? Notebook? Knotted pieces of string? (ala the Inca's) Wondering what others use, what works and what doesn't.

As for me, I created a spread spread sheet to keep track of everything. I keep a record of what I bought, when, from whom, how much I paid for it, even have a photo of each knife, all of which would pay off if you have to file an insurance claim.

In case anyone is interested, I have saved the template to the Excel Spreadsheet I use on DropBox and have set it up to share. Follow the link and you can DL a copy of it for yourself. The file also has some pages of steel data, comparisons, Stainless, Carbon Steel, etc. Hope someone will find it helpful and worthwhile. Let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3z2wfvouzigp2p/Knife Collection Spreadsheet Template.xlsx?dl=0

Yes I am up at 3:30 am doing stuff like this. I said I was OCD... :confused:
Click to expand...

Holy Crap! That was a ton of work!!! :thumbsup:

I'll download it. Definitely a huge effort and it may come in handy.

Thank you.
 
Dan of Bazz Clazz said:
OCD as many of us are, I can't be the only one who has created a means of keeping track of the knives in my collection. So the question is, what do you use? Data base? Spread sheet? Notebook? Knotted pieces of string? (ala the Inca's) Wondering what others use, what works and what doesn't.

As for me, I created a spread spread sheet to keep track of everything. I keep a record of what I bought, when, from whom, how much I paid for it, even have a photo of each knife, all of which would pay off if you have to file an insurance claim.

In case anyone is interested, I have saved the template to the Excel Spreadsheet I use on DropBox and have set it up to share. Follow the link and you can DL a copy of it for yourself. The file also has some pages of steel data, comparisons, Stainless, Carbon Steel, etc. Hope someone will find it helpful and worthwhile. Let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3z2wfvouzigp2p/Knife Collection Spreadsheet Template.xlsx?dl=0

Yes I am up at 3:30 am doing stuff like this. I said I was OCD... :confused:
Click to expand...

I keep the knives in their boxes stacked up in shoeboxes. If I don’t have the box for the knife I just put the knife in a clean sock (Gaston oh Gaston) so that way the knives in the shoe box don’t scratch one another. If I take a knife out for the day I put it back before taking out another. The knives are always either on my person or in the box.

I’m pretty used to seeing how the boxes look stacked up in the shoe boxes, and mentally I can remember whats in each stack. (for example one box is mostly stacked with rows of Spyderco boxes.)


The knife I am carrying if it is out of my pocket is onky really on my nightstand when I’m sleeping or sometimes on the TV table infront of me.

So far it is only friends who lose knives for me when I let them borrow one.
 
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There is an iOS Knife Collection app. I don't use and I don't keep track. They are all in one place and I know not to buy doubles, so I don't see the need personally, but I can see why one would do it.
 
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Photos and spreadsheets in a cloud. I don't have that many knives at the moment (about 22 in total excluding multi-tools) but I do have a bunch of multi-tools, more than a few lights, quite a lot of bags (just a few tactical ones, though, too expensive to have that many that quickly), accessories, etc... I also use the spreadsheets to note which ones need touching up / re-sharpening / anything else worth noting.
 
For the most part I just keep snapshots of the knife for older ones. For more recent acquisitions I take snapshots of the knife, website screenshots showing specifications and scans of receipts and keep them organized by manufacturer in folders on a flash drive.
 
I like to take pictures of my knives so my photobucket and Imgur accounts are about as close to keeping track as I get. Honestly, I don't really want to know exactly how many I have. I know it is too many.

I do sometimes think about doing it. I lost my Spyderco Southard and didn't even know it was gone until I found it in the couch looking for something else. I have often wondered if I have lost any other knives and not known it. Oh well, if I haven't noticed by now it must not be too important. :)
 
I used to take pics of stacked boxes of Spydercos, ZT's, CRK's, fixed blades and a few others thrown in. However, they are nearly all gone now, so that makes it much easier, but not as much fun.
I've pretty well gone through the hysteria now and just hold on to my favorites, with a new purchase now and then...soon to be sold off again.
It's been a fun ride.
 
Large Excel spreadsheet with multiple worksheets

First/primary worksheet lists the =
brand,
model number,
date purchased,
seller,
price, tax if any, shipping if any,
any special identifying info, such as serial number, notches etc,
presence or absence of sheath/scabbard

The second worksheet lists any knives disposed of any any manner - sold, given away, buyer/recipient, mailing address of recipient, if sold - how much did I get.

Subsequent worksheets are by brand or generic type. The information is identical to the primary worksheet, with the addition of where the particular blade in question is SUPPOSED to be stored, i.e., what container and which building the container is stored in, as well as the location of any supporting documentation for those blades that have a provenance to them.

This part is a "work in progress" type of project. I'm having to rectifying the total miss-mash I now have due to being stupid with container labeling - I have many containers where my labels fell off when the glue got old - Rather than "damaging" a container by physically labeling the container with a permanent substance such as paint, or permanent markers, I used either masking tape or duct tape, so that I could remove/replace labels as necessary.

Brand specific pages are on the order of Kabar, Western, Muela, Case, Ontario, etc. Generic type worksheets are for categories such as Dive knives, US Military Swords/Sabers, Non-US Swords/Sabers, US Bayonets, non-US Bayonets, etc

Information and pictures of Insurance-worthy blades are stored in Word document files - 1 file for each knife/bayonet/sword that meets my insurance threshold. All other blades are recorded in "mass display" pictures

All computer files are on my primary computer, with daily back-up copies on an external hard drive, as well as being burned to a CD and a flash drive weekly. Every 4 to 6 weeks, a new CD and flash drive replace the ones in the safe deposit box at the bank.

I guess you could say I'm a little paranoid about data losses.:eek::D
 
It is definitely a work in progress. With the memory issues I had had, it helps to have a record. Also tells me the blade steel when I forget and can't make any progress sharpening a super steel knife I thought was more mid-range. My personal collection is at about 110 knives right now, 60 of them being fixed blades. It isn't too bad to keep track and enter data if you keep up on it. And if I need to I can always enter a new data point, such as file work on the knife, defects to watch out for, etc.
I have other worksheets on my personal Spread Sheet. Deleted those as I didn't want to go into too much detail for the template I posted. I just recently converted a single worksheet that had all my knives and divided it up between fixed and folding knives on separate worksheets. Helped reduce the size since I had the unique folder characteristics, combined with the fixed blade characteristics on on worksheet before. Was starting to get a little wide with big gaps throughout.

I also have a sheet that keeps track of the knives I get rid of, why, to whom, how much etc. Helps reminds me not to reacquire a turd of a knife. lol I also have worksheets covering a wish list of potential new acquisitions, and a manufacturers sheet, keeping track of names, and models that grab my attention in one way or another. Most of the stuff listed there is more like grail knives, or of makers that are hard to find due to limited production, poor distribution, or they are gone and the only ones I would find would be for resale, on the exchange or secondary markets, etc.
 
I use a spreadsheet (stored in the cloud) with several tabs (knives, watches, lights, multitools, bags, etc). I have a generic tab for everything I order, including purchase price and scheduled delivery date. When the item arrives, I move it to the appropiate tab, depending on the type of item. I have a separate wish list that I mark off as items are purchased. If I sell something, it moves to the bottom of the list and shows how much I sold it for.
 
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