Spare collections
The spare collection of the Pijpenkabinet Foundation includes over 20,000 items which are stored in a separate room. Here, large cabinets containing in total 300 drawers, hold the various collections, systematically arranged and stored in a most compact way. The reference collection is the national archive for pipes from all periods and of all origins. This spare collection serves as the base for fundamental publications about the history of the pipe. Also, this collection is used for comparison and information retrieval as a service for the answering of questions that rise almost daily from researchers all over the world.
All the objects in the collection have a reference number that is registered in the (computerised) database of the museum. The database of every object in the collection consists of thirty fields with different data and makes research towards any imaginable question possible. There is information about the place of production, the makers name and the makers mark. Often commends on the objects are given as well, that throw light on the place of the item in their time and among their makers as well as users.
Archive data and documentary sources to the sum of half a million entries are stored in an additional system. The information is used for the research, i.e. dating. Extra entries enable it to compare basic information with similar items in other collections and in literature.
Please click on the drawer below to see get a view into the storage room.
Collections § 10
