Perry,
What about your wife's end of the extended family. Have you explored with them any possible interest?
Dan C.
Try keeping it in the family by writing a description of the time and effort that has gone into the collection. Shame then into keeping it in the family! At some point someone will take an interest.
Don
I recently had a talk with my son who collects stamps. He was asking advice about the next country he might want to collect. He picks one country, and then exclusively on it until he is about 95% complete, and then moves to the next.
I told him that eventually he could have my collection, and work on adding more to see how much farther he could go from where I left off. It breaks the mold of his collecting methodology, but I told him that he'l have a big head start on all the countries that he hadn't yet started. He'll have some nice duplicates to sell too!
Stamp Collection is a life long HOBBY, not an investment, my daughter is more of the historian in the family than anyone but 30 seconds under ground and greed seems to take over in this world, regardless of promises. They bug me constantly to sell a certified stamp I have that could pay for a house in most states besides California, My wive's family are older than me and I've supplied many Japanese collectibles to them in years past, NOT AN OPTION. Giving to a stamp group will break up the collection as designed. Yell them Dan, what I've made with the collection, YOU KNOW. As an heirloom it would be sold somewhere in the future for sure but it has history attached to it and it would be in the family, as collected and displayed. In my living trust it is designated as an heirlom but greed has a way of warping peoples hearts. If Dan wasn't so old too I'd give it to him, Dear Friend!
Perry,
I understand not wanting to break up your collection. I have a small family and none have an interest in my collection. It is an investment and I do sell items from time to time. The greater value has been the hunt and the friends I made along the way. I have no expectations on having a large financial return when my heirs sell it off after my demise. My wife knows how much enjoyment I have received with my collecting.
I have left instructions on how to dispose of it when I am gone if there is no interest in it by the few relatives I would like to have it. My instructions name who to contact to sell it when the time comes. I also list who 'NOT' to sell to.
Maybe you could scan your collection and put it on a flash drive for your family. At least there will be a record of your collection for posterity. I don't want my collection to go to a museum (not that any would want it). I prefer that it goes back into collectors hands if the family don't want it.
Just my 2 cents.
Vince
Hey Perry,
I'll take it!
Just kidding. Although my collection is much less impressive than yours, I have the same misgivings about what will happen to it once I shuffle off.
I have hopes, though no assurance that my daughter would hang on to it. Until then, I'll continue to drop subtle hints and hope to plant a seed of interest in her continuing my work.
It's every parent's dream, I think.
edit: The only other REAL alternative is.....just keep on living.
Perry,
Your collection is noteworthy beyond the cat value. It is a visual work of art. Don's suggestion(51 Studebaker) about writing a description for the family is interesting. Perhaps consider adding a flash drive video to accompany it might help in the appreciation of what you have created.
Dan C.
(and who's old, you youngster you !!)
Every stamp and every page is on digital on an external hard drive along with all pertainate information. My daughter & I have discussed this at length and she would be the logical choice but I don't want any strife within the family after I'm gone, and besides mama gets it first unless tragedy happen and she will follow thru with my wishes. I'm still around now and each day brings new data, therefore I'm gonna sit back and enjoy what I've created for as long as I can. Thanks Dan, you're the BEST!
" ,... I'm gonna sit back and enjoy what I've created for as long as I can. ...."
That is the best idea.
Worrying on what happens after you're gone is wasted energy,
and time.
You have explained to those who should survive you, You left notes.
Beyond that, unless you want to do the disposal by yourself,
let it go to your heirs and " Enjoy it while you are able to. ".
At least that is my plan
I wouldn't worry about anything. If you have a stamp worth a house, by all means sell it now and convert the money into something you can enjoy even more - a journey, investing into a worthy cause, the community, whatever. If there is nothing you can enjoy more than this stamp in your album, then leave it there.
As I look at it, the whole world seems to be going to an end, so who would care about stamps or any other belongings.
As most traditional hobbies are practiced by folks in our age group, I see this kind of thread a lot. I don't understand the folks who upon retirement, downsize their home to a small place and sell off their collections. I just don't get that. As in, "now you have all this free time to do what? Watch TV?"
In my thoughts I am looking forward to my retirement as a time to enjoy my hobbies. I know model car guys who never finished a project, but since retirement spend a few hours a day at the work bench and are completing projects. They are having the time of their lives. That's what retirement should be in my mind.
As far as what happens to our collections in the end... as many have said, I'd love to pass mine on to an eager relative. But we know that's remote, with the interest in stamps today. So I am resigned to the fact that the albums I've carefully assembled for my own pleasure will be thoughtlessly torn apart by some future owner with the intent of selling the pieces at a profit.
Maybe if some of our albums are created artistically, someone will want to keep them intact, or our country collections as a basis to build a new country from. But we won't be here to see that, so oh well. So just be good with the fact that you assembled those albums for your own pleasure. Then they've achieved their goals. Just hope that your collection is passed on in the community, versus being tossed in a dumpster, so the stamps and covers live on.
There is a chance that some of our specialty collections may be appreciated. For instance I'm thinking of donating my New Jersey postmark collection to the NJ Museum someday. I'll bet once it's near completion of all the towns that existed in NJ, that might be something they'd be interested in having. But for now, I'm just having fun.
I'm getting up there in years and have but a few left. My stamp collection is quite extensive and probably valuable but my kids are not interested in stamp collecting at all, all they see is money. I have spent thousands of hours making stamp book pages which reflects not only the history of the USA but much of my family history. I custom drew each and every page, 18 three ring binders full, and I wanted it to be an heirloom NOT an investment for my kids. My kids will do just fine but I'm not sure if I donate it to a museum (questionable choice) or just ignor the fact that greed is the norm in this modern era. Any suggestions about this would be appreciated.
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Perry,
What about your wife's end of the extended family. Have you explored with them any possible interest?
Dan C.
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Try keeping it in the family by writing a description of the time and effort that has gone into the collection. Shame then into keeping it in the family! At some point someone will take an interest.
Don
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
I recently had a talk with my son who collects stamps. He was asking advice about the next country he might want to collect. He picks one country, and then exclusively on it until he is about 95% complete, and then moves to the next.
I told him that eventually he could have my collection, and work on adding more to see how much farther he could go from where I left off. It breaks the mold of his collecting methodology, but I told him that he'l have a big head start on all the countries that he hadn't yet started. He'll have some nice duplicates to sell too!
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Stamp Collection is a life long HOBBY, not an investment, my daughter is more of the historian in the family than anyone but 30 seconds under ground and greed seems to take over in this world, regardless of promises. They bug me constantly to sell a certified stamp I have that could pay for a house in most states besides California, My wive's family are older than me and I've supplied many Japanese collectibles to them in years past, NOT AN OPTION. Giving to a stamp group will break up the collection as designed. Yell them Dan, what I've made with the collection, YOU KNOW. As an heirloom it would be sold somewhere in the future for sure but it has history attached to it and it would be in the family, as collected and displayed. In my living trust it is designated as an heirlom but greed has a way of warping peoples hearts. If Dan wasn't so old too I'd give it to him, Dear Friend!
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Perry,
I understand not wanting to break up your collection. I have a small family and none have an interest in my collection. It is an investment and I do sell items from time to time. The greater value has been the hunt and the friends I made along the way. I have no expectations on having a large financial return when my heirs sell it off after my demise. My wife knows how much enjoyment I have received with my collecting.
I have left instructions on how to dispose of it when I am gone if there is no interest in it by the few relatives I would like to have it. My instructions name who to contact to sell it when the time comes. I also list who 'NOT' to sell to.
Maybe you could scan your collection and put it on a flash drive for your family. At least there will be a record of your collection for posterity. I don't want my collection to go to a museum (not that any would want it). I prefer that it goes back into collectors hands if the family don't want it.
Just my 2 cents.
Vince
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Hey Perry,
I'll take it!
Just kidding. Although my collection is much less impressive than yours, I have the same misgivings about what will happen to it once I shuffle off.
I have hopes, though no assurance that my daughter would hang on to it. Until then, I'll continue to drop subtle hints and hope to plant a seed of interest in her continuing my work.
It's every parent's dream, I think.
edit: The only other REAL alternative is.....just keep on living.
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Perry,
Your collection is noteworthy beyond the cat value. It is a visual work of art. Don's suggestion(51 Studebaker) about writing a description for the family is interesting. Perhaps consider adding a flash drive video to accompany it might help in the appreciation of what you have created.
Dan C.
(and who's old, you youngster you !!)
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
Every stamp and every page is on digital on an external hard drive along with all pertainate information. My daughter & I have discussed this at length and she would be the logical choice but I don't want any strife within the family after I'm gone, and besides mama gets it first unless tragedy happen and she will follow thru with my wishes. I'm still around now and each day brings new data, therefore I'm gonna sit back and enjoy what I've created for as long as I can. Thanks Dan, you're the BEST!
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
" ,... I'm gonna sit back and enjoy what I've created for as long as I can. ...."
That is the best idea.
Worrying on what happens after you're gone is wasted energy,
and time.
You have explained to those who should survive you, You left notes.
Beyond that, unless you want to do the disposal by yourself,
let it go to your heirs and " Enjoy it while you are able to. ".
At least that is my plan
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
I wouldn't worry about anything. If you have a stamp worth a house, by all means sell it now and convert the money into something you can enjoy even more - a journey, investing into a worthy cause, the community, whatever. If there is nothing you can enjoy more than this stamp in your album, then leave it there.
As I look at it, the whole world seems to be going to an end, so who would care about stamps or any other belongings.
re: Near STAMP COLLECTING "End of Watch"?
As most traditional hobbies are practiced by folks in our age group, I see this kind of thread a lot. I don't understand the folks who upon retirement, downsize their home to a small place and sell off their collections. I just don't get that. As in, "now you have all this free time to do what? Watch TV?"
In my thoughts I am looking forward to my retirement as a time to enjoy my hobbies. I know model car guys who never finished a project, but since retirement spend a few hours a day at the work bench and are completing projects. They are having the time of their lives. That's what retirement should be in my mind.
As far as what happens to our collections in the end... as many have said, I'd love to pass mine on to an eager relative. But we know that's remote, with the interest in stamps today. So I am resigned to the fact that the albums I've carefully assembled for my own pleasure will be thoughtlessly torn apart by some future owner with the intent of selling the pieces at a profit.
Maybe if some of our albums are created artistically, someone will want to keep them intact, or our country collections as a basis to build a new country from. But we won't be here to see that, so oh well. So just be good with the fact that you assembled those albums for your own pleasure. Then they've achieved their goals. Just hope that your collection is passed on in the community, versus being tossed in a dumpster, so the stamps and covers live on.
There is a chance that some of our specialty collections may be appreciated. For instance I'm thinking of donating my New Jersey postmark collection to the NJ Museum someday. I'll bet once it's near completion of all the towns that existed in NJ, that might be something they'd be interested in having. But for now, I'm just having fun.