The Shafer collection consists of approximately .5 cubic foot of manuscripts, research notes, newsletters, correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, pamphlets, and ephemera.

A substantial portion of the collection, approximately 1 cubic foot, is composed of over 1,000 photographic prints and negatives, primarily of antique bottles and archaeological artifacts and dig sites. In addition, Shafer and his family  are the subject of some of these photographs. The prints range in size from contact sheets to 11 x 14 inches and include both color and black-and-white images. Also among the items in the collection are some slides and a color transparency.