Your situation is very similar to the one we are currently dealing with. At the Old Governor's Mansion, an Historic House Museum our collections were gathered over many years, in some ways very similar to your position. I am currently accessioning the entire collection in proper format. We are using 1995 for our date as well, without an "x", regardless of the date of acquisition. This simplifies matters, and of course relevant information on date of acquisition and source is included in the database and hardcopy. This method is a necessity in our situation, having approximately 10,000 objects to complete in a year. I also find it is a good starting point, as further acquisitions in future years will carry the date for that year (now that we are getting our act together and will accession objects as they come in) ********************* Ms Sandra Mason Director, Old Governor's Mansion [log in to unmask]