How do you store collector sets? (1 Viewer)

[Ric Easton]

Lemme ask a dopey question. With sets like the new WB Gangsters, and the Film Noir, Director's sets etc.. Do you folks keep the films together in the box, or do you put them on your shelves separately, in alpha order (if thats your system)? With the Film Noir and my Hitchcocks they went on the shelves out of the box. Since then, they have been converted to thinpaks. All the Film Noirs are mixed in with all the other movies in that section (Drama/Action/Classic) in alpha order. Hitchcock's are all together by year.

Anyway, (since I like space saving) I've been thinking of putting the Film Noir set back together in a slim 6 disc Nexpak case with an adapted cover and doing the same kinda thing for the Gangsters set.

Ric

 

[Thomas T]

I rip off the shrink wrap and toss the box and file them alphabetically in their original cases.

 

[Brandon Conway]

If a set has individual *sturdy* cases for movies that are not of the same series (James Bond) I put them individually in their alphabetical order.

An example of "non-sturdy" cases would be the cardboard cases for Criterion's John Cassavetes box. When I pick that up I'll simply file them all under J and keep them in the box.

And not that anyone asked, but I personally like films that start with numbers to be filed alphabetically by the spelled out number. For example: 12 Angry Men is filed under TW.

 

[Mike D]

My discs just sit on shelves chronologically in their original cases. I removed the Criterion Hitchcocks and placed them in order because when I pulled out the stupidly designed box, they kept falling out the bottom and onto the carpet (or my toes). But the Warner boxes can sit spines out so I just drop them in approximately where they fit.

 

[Craig Sherman]

Brandon,

Your choice of AMA-styled alphabetization (as opposed to ALA, where the numbers come before "A") makes a lot of sense, especially when you see movies whose titles go back and forth, depending on what region the DVD is, even where the title is written.

For example, in R2, "24-Hour Party People" is "Twenty-Four Hour Party People." Considering the nation of origin for that film is in R2, I defer to their spelling. Obviously, spelling the numbers out from the getgo, as you and the AMA do, takes care of that particular issue outright.

Also, I recall Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps," sometimes written out on its own posters as "The Thirty-Nine Steps."

In these two cases, as in many others, you can agree that AMA organization just makes more sense.

Now, as for collector's sets, I put the boxes is alphabetical order by director's last name (or if the box is titled, like the "High School Reunion" box, then by that title, under "H") and the individual discs within in chronological order. It got so troublesome with the WB Hitch, Scorsese, and Marx Bros. boxes, that I stuck tiny vinyl numbers on each spine to keep them in order.

This is fun!

Carthago Delilnda Est,

CS

 

[Douglas R]

Me too, it,s simpler that way. Except Hitchcock. I've got so many of those that I keep all Hitchcock titles together.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

When it comes to boxed collector's sets, I just remove the shrink wrapping and keep all the individual discs inside their customized specialty box. Am I the only one still into the collectibility of the thing? I'd never throw the outer box out; it's part of the original packaging.

 

[DavidofLondon]

See now I'm happy. Here was I thinking I was the only person who "worried" about what order to keep my DVDS in.

Personally I keep Movies alphabetically, except for sequels which are placed in chronological order. What I tend to do for sequels and other groups is name the collection e.g. Lara Croft movies then the (so far) two movies go in chronological order but stored in the overall shelves starting at LA.

I separate TV series and Movie DVDs. The TV series stuff is stored alphabetically by series title then chronologically within title.

I understand the logic of using AMA ordering for "numbered" titles, but I prefer ALA ordering. I tend not to worry about alternate title options and just go with the title actually selected on the DVD. So if the title was "The Thirty-Nine Steps" I'd file under THI (I ignore THE obviously) and if it was "The 39 Steps" I'd file under "3".

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I don't feel any need to throw away the box since I don't keep my DVDs in alphabetical order. I have a number of genre categories, within those I put the DVDs in chronological or otherwise somewhat logical order.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Nope, the only packaging that I throw away is the cellophane and the security tags. I couldn't sleep if I threw away the box!

I keep all of my separate titles arranged alphabetically, and the boxes sit on top of the shelf. I have approximately 800 DVDs, and I know exactly where every title is.

 

[Ian_H]

With box sets of individual movies as long as each movie comes in its own keepcase I will ditch the box and shelve them alphabetical in thier appropriate genre. Sequals I tend to alpabetize them under the name of the first film in chronological order. Like all my Friday the 13th flicks are under F.


--Ian

 

[Rolando]

Dudes I throw nothing out. I still have my Monster Legacy sets in the box the 3 came in with the busts inside as they came!

I have all DVD movies alpha then TV shows Alpha and Disney Movies alpha. I have box sets like Spiderman limited and Monster legacy separately on display.

 

[Matt Fisher]

I store all my discs in 128-disc Case Logic cases (I'm at college, so to have ~200 DVD cases lying around my room would take up too much space). All single titles are alphabetized, and as for my box sets, if the discs look the same even though the titles aren't numberical, ie Marx Bros Silver Screen Collection, or the Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection, then I alphabetize all the discs together according to the name of the collection. However for my Billy Wilder Box Set the 9-disc one, I just have those movies alphabetized regularly since there's no similarities design to the discs.

 

[Aaron Thorne]

I keep all box sets in their original boxes and store them on the shelf with all the rest.

With all this discussion about storing DVDs, I've got a question. I'm out of shelf space and I've been searching for a good shelf for a few months now. The one I currently have holds approx 200 and with around 250 titles in my collection I'm having to stack them in my entertainment center. SO what kind of shelves do you guys use and where can I find a good one? I'd like to have something black/silver if possible.

 

[Ruz-El]

I keep everything in the box set they came in. I store all of my films chronologically by Director. So, stuff like Oliver Stone Box Set, and Kubrick etc, have the boxes, than any single releases by the directors that aren't part of the box are positioned either ahead or behind of the box, to keep them together. If the set is a series, like Film Noir or Friday The 13, than I keep them in the box, not breaking them up to sit with directors DVDs, but I keep the director singles close by. I arrange my shelf so that classics are grouped together (so the Warners Legends Box is in the same area where single Curtiz discs are, but not strictly chrono. I have tall bookshelf style racks, so fancy boxsets like universal monsters with busts sit on top. Things like the Disney Treasure, etc, are all kept together.

I guess I have a convoluted system, but f**k it, they're my movies, I'll keep them my way!

I'm spaz enough that I know where a disc is if someone asks me, and obssesive enough that I resort the DVD's if companey screws with them. I print the list of my movies alphabetically for company, and by director with a sub sort of release date (original) for myself. I couldn't live with my self if I ditched the boxes on boxsets, the cases for binders, or anything. I'm not a spaz about original packaging though, my Fight Club SE digipack came with the plastic all cracked and falling out, but the DVD's and the spindles that hold them where fine. I never replaced it, because it was just so fitting to have a busted Fight Club case with the movie.

 

[Jason Hennigan]

I keep all of my boxes. If something comes in a box which doesn't fit on a shelf, I have space on top to store those (such as the Kurosawa Winstar Boxset).

Boxes are filed alphabetically, though sometimes it can be an odd process. I put the "Happy Gilmore/Billy Madison" 2 pack in the H-section, with the spine out to show Happy Gilmore as the top title of the two (I like that movie more).

In terms of odd collection filing methods, my Criterion disks actually are filed separately. They're on the top shelf filed in order of spine number.

 

[Tim Glover]

I have my dvds stored in chronogical order of when their theatrical release was. 1937 to the present. Except I keep sequels/series or other boxed sets in a different bookcase.

 

[Kevin Deselms]

To me, it totally depends on the quality of the box. If it's a cool box, I usually alphabetize it according to the box/collection name (in this case, probably under "H"). For instance, I have the Indiana Jones trilogy under "A" because the collection is called the "Adventures of Indiana Jones" set. But in the case of something like the Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore set, the box is so crappy that I didn't see the value of keeping the two movies in it. So away it went...

This thread totally reminds me of Cusak and his vinyl collection in High Fidelity.

"What is it this time, chronological?"

"No, autobiographical."

 

[Chris Bardon]

Well, at this point I'm still keeping everything in the original boxes, but I was actaully thinking of splitting things like the Scorsese and Stone boxes up. The only problem is that I can't really bring myself to throw the boxes out, so I'd just have to find somewhere to keep em. Might as well leave the discs in the box. Hell, I still have the Spider-man CE box, and I took the discs out of that one...



I've got all of mine on a bookcase from Ikea that holds all 300 DVDs plus about 50 Xbox/gamecube games. I put in spacers so that the discs sit out near the edge of the shelf (as opposed to way at the back, and the bookcases were only about $70 each.

DVDs are easy to file though-you want convoluted filing, check out my Comics filing system. Even I forget how it works sometimes...

 

[Patrick Sun]

If it's a director's set, I just file the entire boxset under the director's last name. Some things you just have to know about your own collection when looking for something later down the line.