general
How to Create a Collection Inventory Spreadsheet
A reusable spreadsheet structure with 16 standardized fields any appraiser, insurer, or auction house will recognize.
Published March 26, 2026Updated May 20, 20261 min read
Short answer
Use one row per item. Standardize 16 fields: name, category, person/team/artist, year, manufacturer, condition, authentication, COA number, provenance, purchase date, purchase price, photos link, storage location, value source, insurance, and selling priority.
The Collection Inventory Template provides a ready-made version, but if you'd rather build your own, here's the structure.
The 16 fields
- Item Name
- Category
- Person / Team / Artist
- Year / Era
- Manufacturer / Publisher
- Condition Notes
- Authentication Status
- COA / LOA Number
- Provenance Notes
- Purchase Date
- Purchase Price
- Photos Link
- Storage Location
- Estimated Value Source
- Insurance Status
- Selling Priority
Why each field matters
- Standardization. Every professional will use the same vocabulary.
- Recovery. If the original is destroyed, the inventory is your record.
- Routing. Selling priority lets you sort the spreadsheet by urgency.
- Insurance. Insurers will ask for these fields nearly verbatim.
Common mistakes when building from scratch
- Free-text condition notes that aren't consistent across items.
- Skipping the Photos Link field (you'll regret it later).
- Combining purchase price and current value in one column.
- Storing the spreadsheet only in one location (back it up).
How to maintain
- Update annually with current condition observations.
- Update after every purchase or sale.
- Re-evaluate value sources annually.
- Replace photos every time a piece is reframed, conserved, or moved.