Does your spouse know anything about your collection ?
 

I was wondering as I bought an item recently if your spouse is as "clueless" as mine is about my collection. She has no idea how much I can spend on a 19th Century or T206 Cobb etc. When it arrives in the mail or by truck, I open it in the basement and add to my collection. I never reveal the price , do you ?

I reveal only the amount of information that is absolutely necessary.

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I reveal the price to be 25% of what I actually paid.

My wife is quite familiar with my collection and does have an idea as to it's value. She knows I enjoy it and that I work hard so she does encourage my collecting. Guess it is better than going out to bars or clubs and I habe something of value in the end. She also collects dolls as she enjoys them so we noth understand collecting. No secrets in this marriage.

My wife knows about my collection and a rough estimate of what it cost me, as I would not want something to happen to me and her end up getting ripped off trying to sell it. We've struck a compromise. I know exactly what the jewelry I bought her costs, and as long as she is "winning" she is okay. Now to get some diamond earrings so I can pick up a nice piece....

I take the opposite approach. I reveal a smaller number of what I actually sold a card for.

She only know a little bit like I like New York and rookies . I don't have a very large budget so it never really comes up

My wife knows what my collection is insured for and who to call to liquidate my collection if necessary. Other than that she doesn't have much interest.

Does your spouse know anything about your collection ?
 

Of course! I let her know not to buy any sports memorabilia without me knowing. So she won't get ripped off [emoji6]

She is on board with my collecting 100%. She loves how happy I get getting a want list card and in turn makes her happy seeing me happy. So, it's a nice circle. As well as she's seen some of the ridiculous profits I have made. I'm too blessed with her.

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I only shop out of my bonuses, so my wife probably doesn't really know much about it, but she worked the show circuit with me back in the day and knows who to call in the event of my demise. My son also has a good working order of sports cards and still goes to shows with me every now and then.

I'd like to know who everyone has been told to go to when they meet their demise.

I'm hoping my family will try to continue to fulfill my impossible dream.


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No secrets in our marriage. We decided on a fair monthly card budget that I more or less stick to. We both make a good living, and I could easily spend more than I do on cards. However, we have a mortgage, two kids to raise, and other things she likes as well. So, I keep the collecting in perspective. She has a decent idea concerning value and knows where to go in the event of my demise. All that being said, she's an accountant so that means I am probably screwed if I ever try to get away with anything big. :)

Collections
 

I have spent a lot on cards over the years but my collection represents a very small % of my estate. Family comes first. I have left instructions with her, my financial guy and executor about how to liquidate it when I am gone, but made sure she and family won't need the funds

I did tell her that if Mr Mint shows up with a handful of crisp $100 bills to call 911

I was that guy once. I had a former business partner (we owned a shop when there were ten in every town...a darn good little shop) who contracted Lymphoma. He fought it bravely and asked it I'd dispose of his cards. I did my best and got a good bit out of his collection, but it was hard work and took more than a year and I have always wondered if I could have done significantly better...I suspect I could have from the lessons I learned...still, it's all a journey, and I would have probably only done 10% better. I feel so privileged to have been asked, but it isn't an easy task for sure.

Lolol she never asks, dosnt care which is a good thing. But is always telling friends when they come over to go look at my stuff

My wife has no idea! I asked her to pick out a t206 for me that I didn't have ( have a list) for my birthday this year. She did and then was telling me she didn't know if she got a good deal or not. She wanted to know what cards the value of some of my collection was worth to see if she got a deal or not. I told her I have never really kept track. She said I need to make a list of all of my valuable cards so she would have it incase something would ever happen to me.

Pretty sure she is just trying to figure how much I am spending!

I really ought to keep track of my spending so I don't lose money on cards if I ever sell any, or try not to.

This piece is so important!

My wife knows how much I spend and whenever the holidays roll around the only card item she'll ever pick up on her own accord is a pack or hanger box from Target.

She's a bit of a video game collector herself so she understands she'd be buying blind and probably not getting the best deal if she went looking for singles.

Mine does, and encourages me, even to the extent of prompting me to pull the trigger on a high priced item (for me) when I have a hard time justifying it even to myself.

Among other things... She loves looking through what I pickup at the shows, knows the difference between a T205 and T206, what to look for to tell the difference between a '68 Topps and '68 Milton Bradley, rudimentary knowledge in 'grading' a card (and some might say just as good as a TPG at times), where and how I store my collection as well as the inventory of what I have, and could probably reel off a list of about 20 HOFers.

Oh... Did I mention though that she is my 2nd wife. ;)

Ditto :D

I'm purposefully vague when it comes to what I spend on cards....and that will generally suffice as she has no interest in my collection.

All too often I do find myself opening packages in the solitude of my basement. Sort of sad...but that is where the Net54 community helps.

this is funny!!!! I open mine at work where they arrive and show my coworkers and patients.

"All too often I do find myself opening packages in the solitude of my basement. Sort of sad...but that is where the Net54 community helps."[/QUOTE]

Doesn't know and doesn't carr
 

My wife knows how much I enjoy collecting, knows I would never make a purchase we couldn't afford and knows that the cards have enough value to ensure they are handled professionally after I'm gone.

Other than that I have included a few things in our will that will help her dispose of the collection when I'm gone.

1. an overview of the inventory (updated annually or when a significant purchase or sale occurs.
2. A letter identifying pieces that should remain with the family for sentimental reasons
3. An REA business card. I'm confidant REA will select the items which are appropriate for their next auction and guidance on how to offload the detritus they are not interested in.

Not really but she does know it's quite valuable. My sons are starting to get into cards and one of my sons asked for a card that costs several thousand dollars as my wife told him no way we would never spend that kind of money on a card, he asked so why does Dad have one? So she did ask a few questions.

My girlfriend is just as enthusiastic about my collecting as I am. When I bring the mail in and she spots a bubble envelope/box, she will grab the scissors so that I can open it right then. She even looks at the backs of my T206s. If its a Sweet Caporal or Piedmont back, the next question out of her mouth will be "Doesn't this player have a Polar Bear back?" :eek:

At flea markets, if I start digging around at a table, she will scout ahead and alert me to any baseball items that are on other dealer's tables.

If I'm at work, she will send me pictures on my phone and ask me about baseball or sports related items that she has found.

Yeah, she's a keeper!

It IS my spouses collection. :)

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...iques+Roadshow

My son has always known he would get the collection on my demise. I had told him he had two choices:

1: continue the quest, but I knew that would be on a limited basis, as cards are not really his thing, or

2: return two cards to their owner, who has been kind enough to send them to me as part of the collection without ever asking for reimbursement and then
contact the auction house I had left info on in the storage case for the collection and sell them as a collection and use the funds to help with his ever increasing student loan debt.

Well, this summer, he surprised me by saying he knew someday he would get the collection and had already done some checking around and had decided to give the cards to the Alachua County, Florida Historical Society. Said he found there was no Baseball Card Hall of Fame to give them to, and that the Baseball Hall of Fame would probably do nothing with them, as they had too much stuff already, but since Howe was from Alachua County, and looked like he had spent most of his life there, he wanted them to go back to where they came from and stay as one collection as I had reassembled them.

I was pretty impressed that he had researched where Gainesville was located, and had at least discovered there was no Baseball Card HoF, or that the Baseball HoF would do nothing with them. He said he wouldn't feel right about using my funds or work to pay off his school loans, that was up to him, but that he didn't want to see my work go to waste having the collection busted up again.

Have I ever mention how proud I am of my son?

My girlfriend knows little about cards or baseball, but she is interested in my spending. She will support me when I get a high grade Cobb or Johnson, but not a Street/ Piedmont 42 and definitely not a brown/ yellow scrap.

Sometimes I end up passing on cards that I would like to have. Other times I end up getting them secretly (luckily she doesn't read this forum).

And once I actually told her that if it came to it, I would choose a card over her. She gave in that one time. At the time (2006) we had been together less than a year and the card was the Plank. She resented the card for a while, but when she realized how much it has increased in value she acts like it was her idea to get it all along.

I tell my wife everything regarding finances, especially cards. No secrets.
Although with a 2 year old and another on the way, money for cards is hard to come by.
I do use the excuse that I am buying these cards for our son now.

She doesn't buy it.

That's freaking awesome. It was her idea all of the time!! All of us guys should remember that.

And as for me, my wife doesn't know much about my collections, past or present, except she gets half their value if we ever divorce.

My wife to be doesn't care for it. She is right in regards that we have more important things; "The Wedding, Saving for a House, future children, etc.".

That said I'm buying all I can while I can. I have also used that excuse that I'm buying for my son. She also does not buy it haha.

Very scary thread.

I tell my wife when I sell something that she will see the money from.

When I buy something, I spare her the details... :-)

My wife knows everything about my collection that she wishes to know. If she ever asks a question, I answer it honestly. The simple fact is that she has little interest, perhaps because we've never combined our finances so the collection has little impact upon her. We've been married 31 years and this arrangement has served us well.

Yes but has no clue why I do
 

My wife thinks buying cards is like her buying a dress. She does not get the concept of one growing in value, the other worth 10% at a consignment store a year later. When I buy something costly, she shakes her head no matter what I tell her about it appreciating in value. And when I tell her something is worth a lot more than I paid, she tells me to sell it.

Leon - How did you explain the ridiculous sum of money coming in from Heritage Auctions??

As for me, I was once pretty secretive about everything, but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders ever since I "came out of the closet", so to speak. I too used to open packages at work or in the basement (or in a closet). How sad!

It's hard to keep a big secret like this when you are buying a house and so I just came out and told her how much the collection is worth (or at least how much I paid over the years). She knows I love the hobby, so she wouldn't fight me over it. She also knows I've had a few big scores over the past few years, so that helps dampen the blow. She still doesn't consider it part of our total net assets, but to me, it's a long-term investment and a decent liquidity back-stop (aka the "oh $hit" fund). As others have mentioned, this money could have been blown on so many other endeavors.

Great idea for a post, by the way.

My wife knows everything about my collection that she wishes to know. If she ever asks a question, I answer it honestly. The simple fact is that she has little interest, perhaps because we've never combined our finances so the collection has little impact upon her.

Genius! Mine will get a nice little surprise when I'm gone.

I always show my wife my "watch list" before the auctions and have her pick out the items she thinks has "eye appeal". I use her input for validation to either spend lots of money for a baseball card or to pass.

She is supportive of my spending but I think she thinks I'm nuts.

I am still alive, so, no, not really. She sees the cards come in the mail, but doesn't ask a lot about them unless I get too many packages at once.

This is also how it work with us. She's supportive but would rather have a remodeled bath with seam sauna than a bunch of cardboard lying around. She does call all of you my "Little freinds that I spend to much time with"

Yes, she knows if something happens to me to call Leon

I've got a funny story that shows how involved my wife is with my collecting...

My wife has overheard me talk about players like Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente with my father and father-in-law and she knows that I enjoy collecting these players.

A few weeks ago I was looking over my 56 set and had pulled out the Aaron, Clemente, and Mantle and had them on my desk. She came over, looked at them and goes "hmmmm... I was wrong, I thought Mickey Mantle has black and Hank Aaron was white. At least I knew Roberto Clemente was black." I gave a chuckle and replied "Well, technically Roberto Clemente is Puerto Rican". She shook her head and walked off.

Haaha, yeah great thread.

Besides knowing I collect, my wife don't know shit. She's European and the thought of a piece of cardboard selling for 10K would be something she would never be able to comprehend.

I've actually wondered about this very topic for some time. Not only does she know, support it and encourage it, she often gets me cards from my wish list for birthdays and Christmas (I can see the slabs now under the tree. ;) C'mon red Cobb!?!?!?)

As far as the amount of money - she knows that I never spend what we don't have and that some of that "shit down there cost you tens of thousands of dollars."

So, yeah, I am pretty lucky!!

My fiancé doesn't know anything about collecting but she tolerates me spending my money. Though that may change once we're actually married.

My wife knows all about my collecting. She knows I enjoy it and it keeps me off the streets and out of bars so she has no complaints. I also encourage her habits of jewelry, purses, shoes, etc.

Same at my house and has worked for close to 20 years.

The only thing I can add is because I am a error and variation collector I hear "Don't you already have that card", Didn't you just buy one like that last week", and my favorite "How many of the same card do you really need". I try to show her the differences sometimes and sometimes she acts like she cares.:)

Yeah, and if you want to get the stink eye (at best), try this. "Don't you already have a brown pair of shoes?" :D

SHUT UP :mad:

That's the response that I get when I use that line of reasoning.

Ridiculous sum is a relative term. My wife knew I spent a lot on cards (relative to our other things) and it was part of our assets and a bigger part than it really should have been, as I so often have said. But that is fixed for the moment. :)
She encourages my collecting otherwise and knows I love it. We have even talked of traveling and setting up at shows in the future. I think it could be fun (as long as some shows survive). It even funded a college education and a little more!!

ps...Rich, gotcha covered....