Any object that fits none of the other categories; describe it with the general data sheet.
Not every collection fits a category. Keys, bottle caps, snow globes, typewriters, thimbles: whatever
you collect, the same core record makes it identifiable, insurable and interesting to others. ordicio
uses the Object ID standard for this - the checklist museums, police and insurers use to describe
objects so that they can be recognised if they are ever lost or stolen.
What to Record
Object ID asks for:
Type of object: what it is, in plain words.
Materials and techniques: what it is made of and how.
Measurements: size and weight, with the units.
Inscriptions and markings: signatures, marks, labels and numbers, and where they are.
Distinguishing features: damage, repairs and anything that makes this object unique.
Title, subject, date or period, and maker, where they apply.
A short description that brings it all together.
Photographs of the whole object and its details.
Add the collector’s own records:
Acquisition: when, where and from whom you got it, and the price.
Value: an estimated or insured value, and what the estimate is based on.
Collection record: your inventory number and where the object is kept.
Getting Started
Give each object a number and keep it with the object. Write the record when the object enters your
collection, while you still remember where it came from. If a category in ordicio fits later, you can
change the category and keep everything you recorded.
Care and Storage
Keep objects away from direct sunlight, heat and damp, which harm almost every material. Store
documents and receipts with the record of the object they belong to.
Mistakes to Avoid
Postponing the record until “later”.
Keeping receipts and certificates apart from the collection, where they get lost.
Describing only what an object is, but not what makes it different from others of its kind.
The Data Sheet for Other Collectibles
The 35 fields worth recording for other collectibles, grouped as in the
ordicio app.
Identification
Object type Text
What the object is, in the most specific common term, e.g. commode, tea caddy, candlestick, longcase clock.
Title Text
The title or name the object is known by, as given by its maker, publisher or catalogue.
Maker Text
Person, workshop or firm that made the object; write 'attributed to' or 'workshop of' when not certain.
Brand Text
Brand or manufacturer under which the object was sold.
Model Text
Model or product name given by the manufacturer.
Date / period Text
When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Place of origin Place
Town, region or workshop location where the object was made.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Subject Text
What the object depicts or is about.
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).
Physical description
Materials Text
Materials the object is made of, main material first.
Technique Text
How the object was made or decorated.
Colour Text
Colour or colours as seen in daylight, main colour first.
Height (cm) Number
Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Width (cm) Number
Width, measured from the front.
Depth (cm) Number
Depth, measured from front to back.
Weight (g) Number
Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).
Marks
Inscriptions & marks Text
Signatures, labels, stamps, hallmarks, maker's marks and numbers, transcribed as they appear and with their position.
Distinguishing features Text
Damage, repairs or peculiarities that identify this very object (helps to recognise it after a loss or theft).
Serial number Text
Individual serial number of this object, as marked on it.
Condition
Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
Mint / as new
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.
Certificate / expertise Text
Certificates of authenticity or expert opinions, with issuer, date and number.
Acquisition
How and when the object came into the collection.
Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).
Value
Estimated and insured value.
Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.
Collection record
Your own inventory data.
Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.
Standards and References
The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:
Object ID checklist (Getty / ICOM / Interpol)
SPECTRUM (Collections Trust) for acquisition, valuation and location data
Updated October 20, 2026
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