A Cautionary Tale – Getting your affairs in order before passing on

[ClementeFanOh]

This is great advice. At minimum, if your collection is valuable and your
beneficiaries are not knowledgeable about collecting, I'd recommend these
off the top of my head:

1) the most valuable items being in a vault (bank, etc) that a beneficiary
can also access. (In other words, make sure your beneficiaries aren't
blocked from basic access to the items themselves.)

2) come up with a plan for what is going to happen with the items when
you are dead. Save them? Split them? Sell them? I'd also recommend
providing a direct contact to a trustworthy human source if selling is the
choice, such as a fellow collector/friend, an auction house, etc. This
would be a person who can give sage advice on what to do/where to go.

3) If your collection is incredibly valuable, legal documents are wise.

I' am hardly perfect in this regard, but my family will at least be on the
right starting block.

Trent King

[1952boyntoncollector]

I would think an auction house would gladly value the collection for free and advise if the collection has any value.

you can simply advise what auction houses you wish...

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

I would think an auction house would gladly value the collection for free and advise if the collection has any value.

you can simply advise what auction houses you wish...

This is a good point especially for pre-war and graded cards. But if you have binders of 60/70s sets or partial sets, it will be a lot harder for your heirs to deal with.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

This is a good point especially for pre-war and graded cards. But if you have binders of 60/70s sets or partial sets, it will be a lot harder for your heirs to deal with.

At the very least leave information leading your heirs to an auction house or a hobby friend Who can direct your descendants. Any decent auction house will manage a large connection just fine raw and graded cards you may not milk every last penny out of the collection but so what.

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

At the very least leave information leading your heirs to an auction house or a hobby friend Who can direct your descendants. Any decent auction house will manage a large connection just fine raw and graded cards you may not milk every last penny out of the collection but so what.

I agree, it's not that difficult. I do suggest that someone else knows who you trust in the business.

I have everything inventoried for the most part. That said, I have been trying to focus my collection and sell some random things (especially bulky items that are hard to display and transport...e.g. hockey sticks that I once was enamored with)..there is an arc in (collecting) life where you go from excited accumulation to focus and decluttering. I see it in my reunion "books" where people write about what they are doing. as people age the theme of simplifying comes up more often.

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by puckpaul

I agree, it's not that difficult. I do suggest that someone else knows who you trust in the business.

I have everything inventoried for the most part. That said, I have been trying to focus my collection and sell some random things (especially bulky items that are hard to display and transport...e.g. hockey sticks that I once was enamored with)..there is an arc in (collecting) life where you go from excited accumulation to focus and decluttering. I see it in my reunion "books" where people write about what they are doing. as people age the theme of simplifying comes up more often.

Hi Paul,

I'm curious about your stick comment.... any early antique one-piece or rare models you're interested in parting with?