If you didn't see on RS, a wife is selling her late husbands collection. Assuming it's all legit that has to be some task. I mean unless she collected with him , I cant imagine her having an easy time of it.

So the big question is do you have a plan if you became one with the force tomorrow? My wife is understanding of my collecting but couldn't begin to sell it off. It's not a knock on her, but identifying Clippers, Harberts, Uzays, etc. would be a daunting task for a non collector.

When I went to Jamaica earlier this year with my wife, I left a letter for my mother in case something happened. It outlined various website logins/passwords for my financials, where my deed was , car titles, etc. I also left the Email Address and Phone Number for ChrisB with instructions to explain that the collection would need to be sold and to ask for his help.

Anyone actually contemplate this or actually have a strategy?

A will would be MOST important.
Interesting topic. I was updating my entire collection this past 2 months in archival materials, all acid free, and I decided to write a note with all up to date prices and phone numbers for toy brokers I know.... Just in case I was to die in an accident and to pass along to my Wife or Son. I want to make sure my collection would obviously provide for them if I was gone. Lesson from this is all the 3-packs recently sold on Ebay for a boat load. I'm pretty sure that estate sale sold that whole collection for far less then what they were worth. It's pretty sad if you think about it...
Dang John, I don't like this topic but it is a responsible thing to think about...

Yeah i thought about before that poor womans post,
I have a folder of my rare purchases , how much i paid
How rare and from who i bought from. I also have email
Addresses for most of my fellow collectors, thats about it
no real plans. Makes you think though doesn't it

John, that's a very good question! I often think about that!!

It is maybe even a bit more heavy here I think with an only loose variant collection! Identifying loose Meccano stuff for my wife or real rare coos...how can she possibly do that on her own?? But I see its difficult anyway for a non collector even when the MOC says: i.e. Harbert. So its difficult to talk about what is more difficult and what maybe less. It's a task no wife who doesnt collect can do I guess. The solution would be Afa cases with correct describtion maybe (Im kidding here of course )

I always try to show my wife:
me: "Look this beauty. It is worth a zillion dollars....upper rare variant!!!"
she: "hmmmm...looks like the other 50 you already have of those!"
me: " no, no, no, no....I mean look...the belt here [bla, bla] and the markings [bla, bla], was only produced in [bla, bla], there is only known Ttwo in the world...[going on for minimum half an hour with wide and excited eyes and voice].....
she: mhm....mhm....mhm [while doing other stuff, watching TV or just staring at the wall and thinking: will he ever stop?????]

So.....trying to teach her: FAIL! ....I need another solution!

Every year I want to set up a letter, but forget it regularly! My plan is to give her the contact details from Mike_Skywalker. It would be most easy to give the whole collection to a german friend (shipping costs, same currency, language etc) which I trust 1000%. He could do the selling and get ?? % from the sales for that...or free figures he needs, or sth like that! Dont know what would be appropriate.

I havent even asked him yet ...maybe I should do that first before giving instructions to my wife....

There is of course other guys out there I trust equally (lee, Kenneth)....but not in Germany I guess. Not because I dont trust them but I dont know them so well!

Anyway, a few problems left even if this works:
- I have a repaired stuff (very less by now) in my collection which I should list. (you know: glued head, selfmade cape for a bottleg etc).
- List everything I have with prices is impossible. Im guessing I have about 1100 figures now??...plus a lot of ships! Only thinking of the weapons...which is LL/PBP/TT etc. and which not....I would be a disaster!
- Mike has no clue about bootlegs.....I should maybe also involve Michael_Vogt for that. A guy I trust equally!!

Sooo...time to finally set up the leeter and maybe inform the involved people...LOL

I would also suggest to help Mike out with a few contacts I would prefer to ask for help in special occasions (LL --> Ozio, Lee and Kenneth for opinions on pricing maybe difficult stuff....etc)

Not to joke here, but in other words Wolff, just don't die on us, or we got a BIG mess here with all your figures : )
Plus your coo guides might get a little crazy if your Wife continues adding to them for you. : )

I think that's a very good option Wolff, ask your wife to go to the people you trust, that was my plan back when I was collecting, I have a very good friend and he was going to take the task of selling all my collection but now that I remember I never told him about it.

Tim & I have talked about this.
I really, really need to get my cataloguing sorted out ( been saying this for years ). Forum username & passwords written down...

Accidents do happen. For example:

I've got a will, which needs to be changed since my now ex has moved out. Still on the fence about doing the big sell off. So if that happens, I won't have to worry about what'll happen to my collection when I've finally had enough.

J

First thing Sari would do is party

Second thing she would do is break my collection into two piles. One pile to be given to my pals. The second to be sold off. We don't have enerything written down yet but that's been the agreement for a long time.

The_Dark_Artist wrote:

Not to joke here, but in other words Wolff, just don't die on us, or we got a BIG mess here with all your figures : )
Plus your coo guides might get a little crazy if your Wife continues adding to them for you. : )

ahahahhahaa.....yeah...Ill do my best Steve

OZIO wrote:

I think that's a very good option Wolff, ask your wife to go to the people you trust, that was my plan back when I was collecting, I have a very good friend and he was going to take the task of selling all my collection but now that I remember I never told him about it.

Like me!!!! Funny Ozio.....pretty much the same here! You will definatley on the list for the Ledys

Cheers

Wolff

My wife always tells me to make sure I sell it all before I die

I've kept a spreadsheet with every item I have brought/sold dating back to 2004.

However I need to update my spreadsheet for the figures I own, maybe add numbers to the figures stands as a cross reference guide.

Selling my MOC's so one less thing to worry about!

And make a will !!!

It's all going to the old dogs home.

If I kick the bucket my wife is under strict orders to bury me with my collection. That way I can enjoy them for ever..and ever and ever.


just messing. I hope she sells it and buys herself something nice.

Well it would be easy for my wife as most of my collection is graded, and she knows how to list on ebay and she also has my ebay name and I told her to use it and sell it all if something was to happen to me.

I told her to start each piece at 1.00 and let it roll. This way it would go for what it is worth in that market and she would be able to sell it all off and live on the profit for many years so she would not have to worrie about any money problems and it could keep her busy.

I would hope this would never happen but I would hate to see if it was not graded and she would have to become a grader herself and that combined with all the questions she would get may cause her to just want to not deal with it and that would not be what I would want, as she has supported me through all the years so I would hope that she would be able to have the easyest way to sell it all off and be able to make a huge chunk of money off my hobby that I enjoy collecting.

I hope we all would be able to enjoy our collections and sell them off before we die! I have said that I would never quit collecting this stuff but when I get to my 60s I just may want to No I think I would still enjoy collecting.

Jeff

my plan is a viking funeral on Lake Erie

It's a great thing to talk about and to do something about. It's gets a little complicated since I am divorced with two little girls. My biggest thing is providing for my girls after I'm gone. Making sure they have a good life, college, etc.

As for my collection, since my girls collect with me (they unlikely know the value on many items) they would get them all to do as they wish with them. They understand everything I have is theirs... and hopefully, someday, their childrens. I'm lucky having a father who is extremely well versed in wills, if something was to ever happen to me.