Will Anyone Inherit Your Passion?
 

Read an interesting quote yesterday in the New York Times. It was from a seller of rare artifacts. He was describing how he often comes into the possession of prized artifacts when older generations pass on and the younger folk inherit the items. He said:

“Emotional value doesn’t transfer across generations. People don’t inherit passions.”

I have always assumed I would leave my prized baseball cards to my wife and kids. But perhaps I am not being realistic and should instead enjoy the fruits of the collection prior to my departure. Are we just kidding ourselves that someone else will "inherit our passions"?

I think most "passions" become inherited by auction houses.

My son had no interest in my original t206 collection. But recently, he has said he looks forward to getting "the new collection" and seeing how many more he might find after I'm dead "because I know you would still be doing that if you were around." Thought that was a big turnaround coming from an 18-year old.

My collection is my wife's problem. Whe has to decide what to do with them once I die.

Honestly, I plan on selling my collection when I'm in my 60s and use the proceeds to go on multiple foreign missions for my church. That has been a plan of mine for several years. (I'm 34 now) I really like my baseball collection, but I'm not emotionally attached to it.

That's awesome!

I will have to give instructions to my wife on how to sell my cards. She would likely sell a T206 Uzit on ebay with a fuzzy picture of the front and describe it as "Old Baseball Card" starting at $.01 with no reserve...

NO
 

No, I don't think it will, but this thread just gave me an idea for a name my auction house if I get there: Mintacular's 'Inherited Passion' Cards, etc." (MIPCE pronounced 'Mip-kee')

I told my wife that if I have to go up on the mantle unexpectedly, she has to go through my email and find Craig W.
Bob

I'm going to shoot for a Young Frankenstein situation. Twenty years after I'm gone I want them to disinter my body. My bony hands will still be clutching a shoebox full of cards resting on my chest. Whichever descendant is brave (or disrespectful) enough to wrestle the shoebox from clutches, gets the cards.

Of course that box will only contain my 1981 Donruss and Fleer commons. The less greedy descendants will then share the good stuff.

My son is 9 months old. I'm going to start putting slabs (of commons of course) in his toy box, to get him hooked when he's young!

Better yet
 

Have a catch with him-he'll develop a passion for the game that way and that will lead to our hobby.

One of the reasons why I got back into the hobby in the late 90,s after 15 years away was so I could have my kids enjoy collecting with me. So far 2 of my 3 kids are hooked.CN

Much to my wife's chagrin, probably:D

Seriously, you guys aren't taking it with you?

I want my son to inherit my passion for the cards I collect but I surely will not force it on him. If, as he gets older, he has no interest, then I'll sell off and go on a nice vacation with the wife. If he has an interest, it's his.

However, I did get a kick out him wanting one of my cards as I was dissolving my modern stuff. He chose a '93 UD SP Kevin Reimer and made sure it was at his spot next to his plate at the dinner table for about a week. I was going to keep that card but then the wife tossed it the other day. :(

Bill,

Mom's across America threw out hoards of vintage baseball cards during the 70s and 80s. To them it was just cardboard collecting dust. I wonder how often that happens now?

The passion...absolutely! The collection? Probably not...

I guess I am in the extreme minority here. I don't really want my kids to be collectors as it takes up a lot of time, space, and money. There are a lot of other hobbies that I would be more excited for them to take an interest in.

Many folks here talk about cards as an addiction, doesn't sound like something I want to push on my kids.

I wish my collection took up space! It is about 4X5X16 inches.
Bob

I've given this some thought.

My passion for the hobby isn't a tangible thing, and therefore does not extend to my cards. After all, they are mere pieces of cardboard.

That's why I write. Hopefully, somebody will pick up something I've written and think the hobby is cool. And then they'll begin the same journey I did so many years ago.

I hope that's my legacy.

To Orioles1954

Very much respect your idea.

Frank

I can't see anyone in my family being interested in keeping the cards, in fact, that's how I came to possess the majority of my '33 Goudey's, the family of the gentleman who originally owned them wasn't interested in keeping them.

I guess we simply safeguard these pieces of cardboard until we pass them on to someone in the next generation. Hopefully, someone in my family will be savvy enough to not just give them away. I think I've shared enough knowledge with them that they would handle it properly.

RC

me
 

I'm leaving my collection to Jeff Lichtman.

Collection
 

My 12 year old is a member here and has a similar addiction, no not beer, but a certain player. He has already stated that he will continue his dad's "quest", but then again he has not "discover" the opposite sex as yet...........I hope.

On the serious side, My collection is written into my will as to how it is to be handled and it will be his choice when he reaches a certain age. The storage fees are already paid for.

Rawn

Its basically true that you don't inherit a passion, I mean, if an old guy has a hobby and never gets his kids involved and then he kicks the bucket, the kids will definitely not carry it on. If you get your kids involved it can pass on, but there are no guarantees.

My Dad shared his passion of baseball with me. He took me to Mariners games as a kid when a bleacher seat was $2 in the Kingdome. He took me to baseball card shows as a kid, and once to the all star game in Baltimore in 1993. But he didn't really collect baseball cards. He actually collects British vintage motorcycles, mostly old BSAs, Nortons, Triumphs, Vincent, Benelli. He has quite a collection. I love them too, but not enough to keep a storage facility to keep them... I'll probably keep one or two but there's no way I can keep up with what he has, which requires a part time mechanic to keep them all running (so tell that to your wife, it could be much worse!). Cards don't take up hardly any space, require no maintenance, and I don't have to leave my home to enjoy them.

But the bottom line is, whether or not my kids share my passion, I'll still enjoy the hobby the same. You can't force things on kids, you can encourage, but you just let them find their own passions.

inherit
 

With Rawn, the passing on of the cards and packs is clearly delineated in the will. Interestingly, i did think long and hard about this practical aspect as well as the more abstract yet critical categories of passion and commitment.

best,
barry