Rinker on Collectibles

RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1602

Living with Antiques and Collectibles in a Hurricane Zone

Lost in the reporting process related to the recent devastation caused by the 2017 hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria was their impact on collectors. Several antiques and collectibles periodicals and digital media sites published stories about the storms’ impact on antiques and collectibles malls, flea markets, shops, and shows. Much to everyone’s surprise, most antiques and collectibles flea markets and malls survived with little to no damage. At least one antiques show was canceled.

How many antiques, collectibles, and desirables were lost by private collectors will never be known. Although collectors might share their loss with family and a few collecting friends, it remains private and largely goes unreported. The loss of a collection(s) is personal and devastating. It often is too painful to discuss. No collector rebuilds a lifetime collection overnight.

Insurance companies do not publicly report antiques and collectibles insurance losses as a separate entity. It is a minor line item compared to the losses involved in a hurricane. Many collectors do not have their collections insured. They do not want to spend the money. They self-insure. If so, they should set aside money to replace any potential future loss. They do not. They live in a dream world where the concept of losing their collection(s) is non-existent.

When Linda and I purchased our condo in Altamonte Springs, Florida, in 2013, we became residents in a hurricane zone. We heard stories from local residents who lived through Hurricane Andrew and earlier storms. Like post Andrew purchasers, we lived with the assumption it would never happen to us. I classify myself with those individuals who live in a 100-, 500-, or 1,000-year flood plain and are naive enough to believe a flood will never occur in their lifetime.

Linda and I have antiques and collectibles, including some treasured family heirlooms, in our Altamonte Springs, Florida, condo. In February 2017, we converted our north facing, open sun porch into a lanai room. When working with the window contractor, we expressed our desire for a glass picture window wall. He returned with a drawing that had a large window, nowhere near as large as we wanted, flanked by side windows. When we protested, he informed us the size shown was the largest allowed by the local zoning board because of possible damage by hurricane winds. Further, the installed window glass had to be able to withstand 90-mile per hour winds. I took an “isn’t that nice” attitude. Not by design but by luck, we replaced the two south windows in our condo in June 2017 with new windows with hurricane proof glass.

Linda and I spent the 2017 Labor Day weekend in Altamonte Springs. We flew out late Monday evening to return to Michigan, just as news of Hurricane Irma was beginning. We assumed everything was safe. We did not move any of the antiques and collectibles to a safer environment, the result of an “our condo is a fortress” mentality. The only problem is that we live on the second floor of a two-story condo building with a wooden truss roof over our ceiling.

Fortunately, our neighbors Matt and Isabel were living in the condo during Hurricane Andrew. Matt called and said he had removed the furniture and other items that were in the lanai room to the interior of the apartment. This was a fortuitous move since the caulking seal on one of the lanai room window’s framework was blown off and water leaked into the room. Fortunately, the amount was minimal. The major damage was the loss of power for a week. I am not a big fan of Duke Energy, but I will save that story for another time.

My personal experience and concern about the personal loss of antiques and collectibles during a hurricane forced me to take a closer look at this topic. In the case of a hurricane, there are three potential damaging elements – flooding, wind, and rain. Flooding occurs when water rises. Just because a person does not live in a flood plain does not mean this is not a problem. Storm sewers can back up. Many basements flooded because of this. Lakes can overflow. The lake outside our condo overflowed its banks.

Wind is the real enemy. High winds can blow things over and off, such as roof singles and entire roofs. Its destructive power can set a wide range of flying objects, such as awnings, branches, and signs, in motion. While Linda’s and my windows were guaranteed (whatever that means) against 90-mile per hour winds, they were not guaranteed against debris hitting and breaking them. Linda and I returned to Altamonte Springs two weeks after Hurricane Irma. We saw large debris piles, most of which contained enough objects to break through our windows.

Rain’s biggest threat is not flooding, albeit anyone who has experienced flooding may disagree. It is the damage that can be caused by rain gaining entry through broken windows or dislodged roof singles or roofs. A rain soaked piece of furniture is no different from a piece of furniture that has been through a flood.

Following Hurricane Harvey, I spoke with Mike Becker, Senior Vice President of the Antiques & Collectibles National Association, a group that insures antiques and collectibles dealers and malls as well as private collectors. Mike explained the difference between damage from rising water (flood) and downward flowing water (rain). If damage to antiques and collectibles occurs because of wind or rain rather than flooding, antiques and collectibles are insured under the normal homeowner or renter insurance policy. Most modern policies have a loss limit of which many collectors are unaware.

As opposed to dealers and mall owners, collectors are in a unique position. They can buy Fine Arts coverage, either as an extension of their current policy or separately through an organization such as the Antiques & Collectibles National Association. A Fine Arts rider is written as Marine Inland Insurance, which, I was surprised to learn, includes flood damage.

Preventative action is the best plan to protect against loss in a hurricane zone. Living in a region where homes have basements and attics, or at the minimum a crawl space under the roof, my assumption was the first course of action was to move things to a higher level. However, most homes in hurricane zones do not have basements or attics. Hence, this plan makes little sense.

The modern hurricane warning systems gives individuals plenty of notice that a hurricane is on its way and what path it is likely to take. This allows collectors to remove and pack pieces into plastic containers and then place them into confined spaces such as closets where they are less likely to be subject to movement. Containers should be sealed so they are water tight. Do not forget to put a label inside that contains a name, address, cell phone number and email just in case they float away.

Any hurricane plan should contain an “I am going to get my most valuable antiques and collectibles out of harm’s way” component. Collectors need to decide what pieces they cannot live without. These are not always the most valuable. However, collectors always have value in the back of their mind. The limit is how much can fit into the car, truck, or van. Clothing always can be replaced. Antiques and collectibles cannot.

Collectors should assume they will lose a roof and/or suffer other wind/rain damage. Anything on a shelf needs to be removed. Do not trust clays and other materials that manufacturers claim will hold pieces in place during an earthquake. A hurricane is not an earthquake. The potential causes for damage are much greater.

I have made a point of not allowing my antiques and collectibles to rule my life. There are times when Linda thinks they do. I should listen more to her. As I get older, the concept of loss weighs more heavily on my mind. I mean loss in its broadest sense – life and property. My antiques and collectibles define who I am. The time to be nonchalant is over. The recent hurricane season was a wake-up call. I am in the process of reevaluating how I display and store my antiques and collectibles and what steps I will take to ensure their long-term safety in a weather emergency.

Step One – think twice, even more, about what antiques and collectibles I plan to take to Florida in the future and move a few there back to Michigan.

POSTSCRIPT: If you are a collector and suffer a loss of your collection(s) during a hurricane or know a collector who has, I would like to hear from you. Please email your contact information to harrylrinker@aol.com.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Selected letters will be answered in this column. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

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