How to display and store my collection?

[Libraraptor]

I have already seen many "wooden shelf" - solutions in this forum. I have even seen people displaying great animals in IKEA cabinets
But I´m searching for something else. A kind of combined display / storage solution....Well, uhm...Unfortunately I don´t know what I´m looking for - I´d have to see it and say "wow, that´s the way I want to do it!".
Let me try it another way: Maybe the Papo Allosaurus and some other really great and precious guys stand on glass aprons with signs saying "Dinosaur name - manufacturer - year". Under this display section there would be some drawers for the stuff you love and keep but don´t necessarily have to show or see everyday.
Does anyone out there understand me? Or does someone even have something like that? Inspire me! Help me avoiding the second dinosaur extinction by packing them in in plastic boxes in my basement!!! Show me how dinosaur collections can be a part of your home without looking silly or childish! Help me convince my wife that at least some of my animals can be looked at from sitting on the sofa.

[sbell]

Well, had I had the opportunity, I would have eventually beefed up my displays. First thing I finally got my hands on were some acrylic three-tier risers. These were meant for my glass tower shelves,the ones that held my Dinotales and other smaller figures. The way I see it, the little guys take a lot of room horizontally, but not vertically, so risers and step shelves are good for expanding upwards.

My next main move--I am trying to develop our new, less pleasant basement into a rec/animal room--will be to get book cases with glass doors (I'd prefer plexiglass for weight reasons, but that doesn't show up very often). Most likely, these will be Ikea bookcases (the Billy line is one with several different options) but I could always try and get creative--I have built shelves before, but these would have to be really good (doors are less forgiving).

Even in these bookcases, I still find that the vertical element is the trickiest part. That's why I am a fan of the three-step risers (there are a few in those pics in my thread). Again, it allows a display to take advantage of otherwise wasted height. This is not always a huge deal for dino figures, but I have lots of figures of moderns, of fish, of reptiles, etc, most of which are low. When they are spread out on a shelf, they become hard to see. Even tall dinos can get lost, since the ones at the front will block the view to the back.

I have considered trying to create name plates for my displayed animals, but the fact is, it would take forever, and may add to the clutter--I wouldn't be happy to label only a few big guys, but that means roughly 500-1000 name plates for figures that range in size from a couple inches to almost two feet. I'm not going to do that (yet).