How to Catalog a Physical Game Collection for Preservation and Insurance

A useful collection catalog serves several different questions: what object exists, where it came from, what condition it is in, where it is stored, which digital images document it, and what evidence supports an insurance claim. One spreadsheet can link those records, but preservation description and financial valuation should remain distinct fields.

Work non-destructively. Do not remove labels, open sealed packaging, flatten fragile boxes, clean corrosion, or place adhesive directly on original paper merely to improve a photograph. When an item’s condition makes handling unsafe, record that limitation and consult a conservator.

Step 1: define a stable identifier and scope

Assign each physical object or logical set an internal ID such as DC-000123. Put the ID on an acid-free enclosure, tag, shelf card, or database record—not on the cartridge label, manual, disc, or box. Decide whether a boxed game is one record with components or a parent record linked to separate media/manual/box records.

Document scope before starting: games only, hardware, controllers, magazines, receipts, prototypes, promotional items, and replacement parts. Stable IDs should never be reused after sale or loss; mark status instead.

Step 2: choose structured fields and controlled terms

At minimum record:

• internal ID, platform, displayed title, publisher/developer;
• region, language, product code, media type, revision, and release variant;
• included box, inserts, manual, registration card, maps, and accessories;
• acquisition date/source, receipt reference, gift or ownership provenance;
• current storage location and movement history;
• condition date, examiner, vocabulary, notes, and linked images;
• purchase price, valuation source/date, insured value, and currency as separate fields;
• rights/source information for scans and third-party images.

The National Park Service Museum Handbook treats cataloging, inventory, accountability, photography, and collection reporting as linked records. Use dropdown vocabularies for platform, region, condition, and component type while retaining a free-text note for exceptions.

Step 3: write repeatable condition records

Define terms before inventorying: sealed, complete, incomplete, tested, untested, cracked, torn, faded, stained, corroded, delaminated, resurfaced, replacement, and reproduction. Avoid a single subjective grade without explaining the scale.

Record where damage is located and photograph it. Note whether hardware was powered on, which test was performed, and the result; “works” without date, power supply, output, or media is weak evidence. Never test leaking batteries or visibly damaged power equipment simply to fill a field.

Condition reports are time-based. Keep prior observations rather than overwriting them so change can be detected. The NPS handbook preserves object condition and treatment reports with catalog records so later users can reconstruct changes and interventions.

Step 4: photograph objects consistently

Use a neutral, non-reflective background, stable camera, diffuse lighting, and consistent white balance. Capture front, back, spine, top, bottom, media label, connectors, included components, and distinguishing marks. Add a scale and color target when color/size accuracy matters, but do not cover the object.

Include the internal ID in a separate slate at the beginning of the sequence, not permanently attached to the object. Photograph serials for the private archive when useful for identification, then create redacted public derivatives.

Shoot a lossless or high-quality camera master and avoid in-camera beauty filters. FADGI’s imaging framework emphasizes controlled capture, measurable image performance, color management, metadata, and quality review rather than cosmetic processing.

Step 5: scan flat material only when handling permits

Manuals, maps, receipts, and flat covers can be scanned when opening angle, binding, ink, and surface are stable. Do not press embossed boxes, brittle paper, lenticular material, or sealed items against a flatbed. Photograph them with support instead.

FADGI’s cultural-heritage guidelines provide target-based approaches for resolution, tone, color, noise, sharpening, and metadata. A home inventory need not claim FADGI conformance without calibrated equipment and quality evaluation; use the guidelines to make documented choices.

Keep an unedited lossless master such as TIFF when practical, with embedded color profile. Create JPEG or web derivatives separately. The Library of Congress personal-scanning guidance likewise distinguishes preservation masters from convenient working copies.

Step 6: preserve provenance without overstating authenticity

Link receipts, auction invoices, correspondence, prior-owner statements, grading records, and repair documentation to the item ID. Record source and uncertainty. A marketplace listing is evidence that an asking price existed, not proof of sale, authenticity, or value.

Label replacement cases, reproduction covers, aftermarket shells, reprinted manuals, and repaired boards explicitly. Do not edit a scan to remove wear and then present it as an accurate condition record. Keep adjusted access images linked to untouched masters with processing notes.

Step 7: build an open export and asset manifest

Export core catalog data to UTF-8 CSV or another documented open format. Use one row per defined record and stable IDs to link components, images, receipts, and condition events. Preserve the database’s native export too if it contains relationships CSV cannot express.

Create a manifest listing relative path, item ID, file role, format, byte size, modification date, and cryptographic hash. Hashes detect accidental change but do not prove authenticity by themselves. Avoid filenames containing full addresses, passwords, or unnecessary personal names.

Step 8: back up and test restoration

Keep multiple copies on independent storage, with at least one copy away from the collection’s physical location. Version the catalog and never rely on a cloud sync folder as the only backup; deletion can synchronize everywhere.

Encrypt copies containing receipts, serials, addresses, storage locations, or high-value details. Store recovery keys separately and test them. Periodically restore the CSV/database, manifest, and representative image masters into an isolated directory and verify hashes and links.

The Library of Congress personal archiving resources emphasize selecting, organizing, describing, and making multiple managed copies—not merely accumulating files on one drive.

Step 9: create a separate insurance view

Ask the insurer what documentation, coverage limits, exclusions, appraisal thresholds, and valuation basis apply. A standard homeowners or renters policy may treat collectibles differently; this is policy-specific, not something a catalog can decide.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners recommends a home inventory with photographs and export capability because it gives carriers information for claims. Retain receipts and independent appraisals where required. Record sold comparables with date, condition, fees, and source; do not substitute active asking prices for professional valuation.

Export a private insurance package containing necessary identity and evidence, but omit emulator ROM dumps, account credentials, and unrelated personal documents.

Step 10: publish a privacy-safe showcase

Generate a public derivative rather than sharing the master database. Remove exact storage locations, home address, alarm/camera details, receipts, signatures, account names, full serials, high-resolution keys or certificates, and metadata containing GPS coordinates.

Check image rights before publishing manual or artwork scans. Owning the physical copy does not automatically transfer copyright in its graphics or text. Use thumbnails or descriptive metadata when full reproduction is not authorized.

Step 11: maintain the catalog as an event history

Record acquisitions, moves, loans, repairs, tests, new damage, appraisal changes, sales, and disposals as dated events. Re-photograph valuable or deteriorating items periodically under comparable conditions. Audit a sample against shelves to detect location errors.

A defensible catalog can trace every public or insurance derivative back to a stable object ID and unaltered master, restore from backup, explain condition and valuation vocabulary, and protect sensitive location and ownership data. Related: Preservation-Grade Game Images: Dumps, Hashes, DATs, and Disc Formats Explained · Fixing a Black Screen or a Game That Won’t Launch in an Emulator

Sources: Library of Congress personal digital archiving resources, Library of Congress scanning basics, FADGI cultural-heritage digitization guidelines, National Park Service Museum Handbook for cataloging and inventory, National Archives guidance for artifact documentation and handling, NAIC home-inventory guidance