I don't plan on leaving the hobby, but I was giving this very question some serious thought a few nights ago. What if I have cancer and the doctor gives me 6 months to live?
What would I do with my:
Card show inventory? Take it to a show and try to blow out the entire inventory to another dealer at a greatly discounted price?
eBay inventory? I don't know. Maybe do the same thing? I could discount it very heavily on eBay and sell what I can before I blow out the remainder.
My personal collection? I would probably start by reaching out to board members in the BST and try to sell the whole works. Take what money I can get and move on. Possibly an auction house, although I may not be alive to see the results.
Hopefully, that scenario won't occur and I can keep buying stupid amounts of cards and memorabilia.
Also, when I am buying a collection, my favorite part is when I am going through all of the boxes and tubs of junk.