[Smurfysmurf]

Somebody brought up an interesting question on the FB page.

How do you determine the monetary worth of your collection. In her case, she wanted to know in case she wants to take insurance out on it.

Do you go by what you spent for the smurf, do you consider the book value (if so which one) or do you use another category?

And, do you have your collection insured..or ever considered doing so?

[Smurf1303]

Interesting question.

I consider it the cost that I would likely insure to replace like-for-like for the smurfs as it the values on ebay/shops are now.

I investigated getting it insured a few years back but it was going to cost more per year to insure it than I spend on new smurfs and so that just felt plain wrong.

Also rationally if the whole collection were lost in some way, I'm not sure I'd have the heart to start again. As I never have any intention of selling my collection it's just their for my pleasure I didn't see therefore much point in insuring it to replace it, and I think in reality however many thousands of pounds I'd get if I did loose it would just kinda feel like 'blood money' and I wouldn't feel comfortable therefore spending it anyway.

[Lia]

interesting issue...
Well, I would consider the value of my collection as the price that I paid for the smurfs, it`s the only concrete fact to go on, catalogue-prices change all the time and so does the market.

Lia

[Ritter_Schlumpfenherz]

That's an interesting point. I would go for my personal expense as well.

[Cassiebsg]

I would go for what it would cost to replace them. Of course some would probably be cheaper while others more expensive at a certain point.

But it the end that´s what you want insurance for, so you can replace the missing items if bad luck happens...

We have the same problem with our LEGO... we have models that we payed around 1500 dkk a few years ago, but now if I wanted to replace it, then it would cost me about 8000 or 9000 dkk...

[bwalters]

I have to agree with the replacement price. Many of the Smurfs I have I paid $1.50 for or less. I got about 125 Smurfs I paid $75 for and got a collectors center to boot. I bought out a dealer and included in that case was the Baseball Smurfette. Along with many others that are valuable today. If I were to get the price I paid I would not collect anymore either.

[stampysmurf]

That's a good question......I know I've spent more on it than it's worth! but I sure did have a lot of fun doing it and that's priceless

[Tojo]

I would also say the replacement value. My collection isn't explicitly insured - in fact none of my other collections are either.

Sometimes I've been lucky & paid low prices for smurfs or smurfy items & other times have had to pay high prices. You can't insure something using those prices though. It would be like owning an antique piece of furniture that great grandad paid £50 for in 1920. If it got destroyed it'd probably cost £5000 or more to replace it today...

It's funny but in Germany houses are insured using the gold value from 1914 if I remember rightly. It was very wierd having that explained to us when we bought our house in 1997

[Yonna]

It was me who asked the queastion in FB.

Here is the question:
I've been thinking about this for a while: if a person has got all the normals (exc. the three xmas smurfs) + supers (with variations: all together let's say about 1000 smurfs) + houses + a few promos + and some other stuff, how much is the collection worth as a whole? I mean the insurance value. I don't mean the selling prize as that may vary if you sell individually or as a collection.

I don't think you can value your collection by the buying value since:
a) sometimes you get rare smurfs for a few euros/dollars if the seller doesn't know the real value (fleamarkets f.ex.)
b) if you have a "whole collection" surely the price goes up

I have my collection insured but right now it is part of my home incurence. I asked this question so I could decide wheather I should take a seperate insurance to for the collection.

[bwalters]

I do not have my collection insured, however if I were to do so. It would be at the replacement value. And I would insure it sepratetly. Personally if a tragidy were to hit my house. I would just start over. While it would take me another 30 years to recollect what I have. (and I doubt I will be around then). It was fun collecting it and I would have fun again.

[Tintin]

Hi

I did the same as Yonna, it's in my home insurance.
But then, how do you proof that you had those smurfs and what about value.
I hope i never have to call my insurance company that something happend.

Tintin

[Cassiebsg]

Over here, a picture is proff enough that you have/had the item.
Not sure if it's the same over there or not...

[Yonna]

But then, how do you proof that you had those smurfs and what about value.

My collection is valued for a certain specific amount of my whole home incurance. So if something happened to my collection, I would get that money as a whole. There is also a mention that I have my collection photographed so I can proof which smurfs I own.

[Tintin]

Hi Yonna

Well i hope we don't need to call the insurence company in the future.
Hope nothing happens to yours and mine................and all other smurfs

Tintin

[SmurfsNZ]

I don't really see the use of insuring a collection. Most collections have a lot of rare items and it isn't so easy to just 'replace' them or know everything that got destroyed or damaged in a fire.. earthquake etc. It isn't as simple as: you wreck your car, you get a new one. Your house is destroyed: you buy a new one. You can't truly know how much it is worth anyway. I'm not sure how that model insured her LEGS for thousands of dollars..
A lot Insurance companies are cunning and caniving anyway. It would be great to get the money back, but having destroyed items you could possibly never get again or know exactly what was destroyed doesn't sound easy.

Hope I didn't offend anyone, just how I look at it

[Tintin]

Hi

I understand what you write, and yes a lot of smurfs are now very hard to get, maybe never again.
But if something happens ( hope not ) then at least you get some money to start over again.
Not sure if i would do that..............

Tintin