Displaying a U2 Collection

by Phil Romans

If you have collected for a while, or maybe even if you just started and have a handful of items, you'll probably want to display what you have somewhere around your house or apartment. The key is to make the display look like you have joined the U2 fan cult and not make it look like 1) the work of a child, or 2) a display of fine art.

Putting up your favorite poster of the group with tacks, tape, gummy stuff, etc., is no longer going to pass as classy. Taping your copy of the numbered U2-3 on your wall is no longer an option, nor is cutting up your copy of the PopMart tour program to put on your walls because you like the pop-up version of Edge. Aim higher than all of this.

You have selected objects you would like to display with more class than those examples, but not so much class that other friends and fans are afraid to be in the same room as your display. But how do you walk that fine line? I think there are a couple key factors to consider for any collectible you own.

• Protection -- either from the sun, your favorite pet, or a neighborhood kid who would like to have this item in their room, too. You want to keep this item in the best possible condition.
• Accessibility -- consider where the object is going. Does your Edge signed guitar really belong hanging up in the garage? If it's an important item in your collection, find a way to fit it in your display if displaying it won't damage the item's condition.
• Viewability -- you probably consider anything in your collection as "fair game" to be displayed. If you live alone, ignore this question: Does your spouse really want to wake up with a mural-sized poster of the October album cover in the bed room? That might be considered unviewable by others in the house.

I recently bought my first house, which meant I could do just about anything I wanted from choosing the paint colors to hanging whatever I wanted on the walls. As a U2 collector, I had always wanted a proper way of displaying and storing my U2 goodies. The only ‘publicly’ viewable U2 item I put out was a nicely framed, signed, limited edition lithograph of the JT. I didn’t see any need to go off the deep end and make most of the house a U2 museum. (I also discovered that the financial impacts of owning a house put a serious damper on trying to expand my collection.)

Next on my list was my own ‘U2 Room,’ which would become my office in the house. I spent about a month painting, so I might as well keep the theme of fresh paint into this room as well. I settled for a nice blue color, my own “Blue Room.” Now, what to put up? Personal taste in combination with available material helped me decide what might be best. The biggest enemy of collectors is sunlight, so I put up sun-blocking shades on the windows.

The first item I hung was my U2 Pacs I + II. I took the paper sleeves only and put them into the proper sleeves, and up on the wall. Why let great early 45 art work remain stacked on a shelf? It helps remind me of the early U2, what they were, and what they promised from the beginning. Plus I really liked Bono’s sketch for Another Day. One item I spent quiet a bit of time debating on how to display was a series of guitar picks from the Elevation tour. I could not come up with an effective way of displaying these beauties, so back into storage, in case of a nasty vacuuming accident!

The next item I knew I wanted to display was an early War Tour poster. First I measured it, then off to the local arts and craft store for a frame of some sort. They could custom frame it, but that would cost about 5 times what I paid for it. A generic poster frame was the next viable option, and it could be reused at a later date if I wanted to. While at the store, I picked up a couple nice/cheap 8x10 photo frames. These were for some great photos friends had given me over time. Would add a nice touch to the room, at least I think so.

Lastly, I had wanted to display some of my many newspaper articles. I searched and searched various collectible locations, but came to the conclusion that not many people displayed this type of material. So all my New Musical Expresses, Rolling Stones, and Hot Presses would remain in the protective Rubbermaid storage bins. However, I did locate a ridged “top loader” for regular sized magazines. Think of this as a really big sports card holder. It's see-through plastic with rigid sides and bottom, with an opening at the top for the magazine. In went my copy of Time’s "Rock’s Hottest Ticket".

By the time I finished, I think I walked that fine line successfully. The room doesn't look like a 12-year-old's bedroom, nor like an art museum.