Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

After witnessing some horrific looting and burning in the nearby race riots & civil commotions, and wondering how much worse the long hot summer may bring ;  I am re-evaluating my insurance and “security protections” on my meager antiques and collectibles.
I’m double checking the insurance coverage on my old antique Chevrolet car and it seams pretty easy to start with the NADA, Haggerty, or Kelly type ‘Value Guides” . But my meager old steam engines, old boat motors, science & toy electric motors, etc may only be covered by my home-owners insurance for a total $2500 total MAX!
If some of you folks insure your collections against ‘revolutions,riots, civil commotion’ etc etc , how do you go about it ?
First thing I tried to do was at least take pictures of my items and keep those pics stored on-the-cloud . How do you get an insurance value on what its worth today in case someone steals , or bashes it to pieces , or puts a series of bullet holes through it tomorrow?

We were told that things like newer furniture would be depreciated , paid for, and could then be bought new again to replace. But wonder how a 1911 steam toy could even get a year 2020 real value when most insurance folks have no idea even what it is , or does. We will take pics of all stuff we consider important and  save those to the cloud.
Check your policy and make sure it covers the true cost of your valuable steam items . I fear having an agent tell me its just a worn 100 year old toy that originally  cost 6$ and the depreciated value is now down to $ 1.50. Especially if all i have left is the Nike footprint of a rioters stomp that cracked the cylinders and smashed the boiler. There seems to be some rumbling that antiques and collectables may need ‘riders’ or other i.d., maybe even recent appraisals?
From the last round of attacks, I can say first hand that the police where too busy to even check out the massive amounts of stolen electronics and musical instruments that suddenly flooded facebook and craigslist.  I have creepy visions of my little Bing vertical being used as a water bong thats been ice pick modified so the gangstas can use it in ways' I never imagined.

After what my area has been through the last 6 months, please don't under estimate how important insurance is when you need it.

Quote from: Jim on June 21, 2020, 08:03:25 pm

After what my area has been through the last 6 months, please don't under estimate how important insurance is when you need it.

Jim, was there any damage to the collection? I believe you said you had workshop damage?

No Nick, just all got covered in ash. When I see the damage and the clean up going on around us (still only halfway through cleaning up the 100+ houses that were lost) I can't believe how lucky we were.

Here's a clip that aired recently (goes for around 8 minutes then goes to a BLM rally) there's a lot of talk that it was a back burn that was lit and was one of the major causes of the fire -
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/7-30/series/0/video/NC2001H089S00