My apologies for the lack of posts recently, but I have suffered a chronic detachment of the retina in my right eye and opacification in my left eye at the same time! As a result, my vision has been somewhat impaired over the last few months. However, a simple laser procedure has restored my left eye to working order and I can now wargame, paint, model, read and write as normal; my right eye is undergoing a series of operations over the coming months (thank heavens for the N.H.S), although I do not think it will ever be good enough for more than everyday matters.

Anyway, the loss of vision got me thinking, amongst other things, about my wargaming collection: if I could not see to wargame anymore, I would have to get rid of all those figures and scenery. And, no doubt like many another wargamer, I have no written record of exactly what I have got, nor any idea what the whole lot is worth!

So, with immediate effect, I have begun to list every unit/model - type, period, number of figures, manufacturer (if known), etc. - or item of scenery I possess and work out a reasonable "sale value" in case I ever had to sell up for any reason, let alone problems with eyesight. This has been something of an eye opener - no pun intended! So far I have only completed my 1670s Sun King collection and my ACW collection and already the potential value is much more than I would have thought, even with my conservative estimates.

I still have my medieval/fantasy figures to go and my future wars/sci-fi collection and all the scenery, plus my 30YW 15mm figures, and then there are the wargame books and rules as well, but I am beginning to think I might need to up the house contents insurance rather a lot! It has also made me realise I need to improve my storage boxes for quite a few items!

Anyway, I would encourage any fellow wargamer to seriously think about valuing their collection, if not listing all they possess, at least for the benefit of friends or family who might have to help dispose of it or your insurance company!

So, I hope to be posting again quite soon as I have a lot of painting and gaming to catch up with.

A final word - anything odd about your vision, get it seen to, at once!