Antique Hand Tools - Beginning Collecting

If you're just starting your collection of antique hand tools you'll find it's a fascinating hobby with a seemingly endless supply of tools to acquire and resources that keeps your hobby interesting.

A good place to start would be to organize and research the tools that you already have. Take good photos, (digital would be the best), just in case you need to send photos to an appraiser, a buyer for the tools that you don't want to keep, or to list in a joint collection.

Along with the photos, catalog your tools. This is a must just to to keep track of any information you gather about your tools. As your collection gets more valuable it's also necessary for your insurance company.

Taking good care of your tools includes having a good place to protect them. Just hanging them on the wall in your garage or barn no longer works when they reach the antique collection status. To protect their value, have a good place to store them where they won't rust, get stolen, used or borrowed.