> All too often the survivors have a totally unrealistic idea
> of the values of the hobby materials some so low as to literally throw
> everything into the trash or give them away (when there could be some real
> money to be recouped) or so high that the heirs think they are going to be
> rich. It is a difficult task to put things into true perspective for
these
> people <snip>
> Bill Winans
Gents.
Having just helped a widow figure out what to do with a 2-car garage full of
S scale trains, I have an idea that might work. In this case, I showed the
widow the original retail cost of each item. Sometimes it was marked on the
box, sometimes we'd look at the importers web site, sometimes we looked at
the same or similar items on eBay, or I'd call a knowledgeable person for an
opinion if I had no idea myself (such as narrow gauge). Based on the
original retail price, the age and the current "rareness" of the item we
would then mark the price up somewhat or down a bit or down a lot depending
on the condition. In this case, I was lucky in that the widow had all the
facts in front of her and could make some decisions easily and without being
difficult in the least. Not much emotion in it at all somewhat to my
surprise. Even the layout was disassembled and moved to a new home in two
days. The price was right and the new owner moved fast.
The first decision was to price things a bit below market so that it would
move fast. Speed was more important than obtaining top dollar in this
instance.
The second decision was to give the local S club members the first
opportunity to buy stuff. Then the S Yahoo Groups. Then a more general
widespread group of modelers as a last resort. Again, a good decision and
easy to implement thanks to the existence of the internet. Has anyone
noticed the death of classified ads in the major magazines? Thank the I-net
for that.
The third decision was to sell off a vast collection of books and magazines
on eBay. Her adult son took on that task which is being spread out over
several months. No effort for the widow and no specialized train knowledge
required of the son. Getting a reasonable price for each book seems
possible.
With or without an inventory listing, arranging for a knowledgeable and
trusted friend to help out is the best thing you could possibility do for
your wife.
I agree with Mr. Winans, let's all live a l-o--n-g life. The
alternative is not much fun.
Cheers.Ed L.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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