I have my collection insured through Berkley classics, V&V insurance out of Decora Iowa writes for them. They also insure my Mustang cobra. There are some pointers for those of you wanting to insure higher dollar sleds or newer rare/race sleds.
There is a "magical dollar amount" that will make them squeal. Nearest I can tell it is around $10,000. At that point they want detailed pictures and appraisals. If you need help with an appraisal let me know. I got fairly creative on the few that I have insured for north of $10,000. One thing you need to keep in mind is that they could really give a rats behind if you are insuring a 72 Elan or a 1/12 built prototype 82 Blizzard 9500's with independent suspension....you are actually just insuring dollars. Don't get caught up in what a sled is actually worth on the open market. Insure your sleds for what it would cost you to replace them. I'm talking about finding one as nice or nicer than what you have now, your fuel, time, travel and/or shipping expense to get it to you. Once again..they will not nit pick your values until you approach the 10k mark.
I review my policy with them semi annually and keep a running inventory of sleds and values in the notes section of my Iphone in the event something happens to them. I also email the list to my wife every year as well. That way if something happens to me she has a ballpark figure of what they are worth.
I also insure all of my late model race sleds as well as late model prototypes. These are a bit trickier. Expect to sign a waiver stating that you understand that if you chose to ride them you are not covered. Basically they are covered while on display, in storage or being transported to and from a show. That covers my needs almost 100%.
Recently I have also been getting audited on random sleds mileage. I have been asked to provide odometer mileage for 6-10 sleds at times. Not a big deal as even though they all run I rarely get an opportunity to ride them.
To give you an idea of cost, I have my collection insured for around $200,000. That level of insurance costs me just under $1000 per year.......dirt cheap in my mind.
There are several things that affect premium, area and climate where they are stored, whether or not the structure has heat, type of heat as well as running water and a security system. At the end of the day it is just about risk. When I moved my collection into the museum after it was built my premium increased because of the type of heat that I have and the construction of the building.
I hope this helps and I HIGHLY encourage and recommend insuring your collection......never say never......accidents DO happen!
One other thing is memorabilia, I have an additional $200k on my homeowners insurance that covers my suit collection, parts and memorabilia.....also dirt cheap to buy insurance for. I encourage you all to look at your parts and memorabilia, guarantee you that you have more stuff than you think!
Junkman