How to avoid being someone else's "nice find"?

[Harliduck]

Cool topic with some priceless comments...


A while back I actually had this discussion with a local card shop owner...and this person in real life is the salt of the earth, one of the best human beings I have ever met frankly. Crazy weird to say that about a shop owner as most fit the mold of the Simpson's "Comic Book Guy". Anyway, he told me if something ever happened God forbid, to have my wife bring my collection to him to handle. That would either be an estimated insurance value to keep, or to help sell. He said he has had this conversation with other like collectors, and this has happened before. I was the recipient once of a sudden collectors departure where the shop owner called his known vintage collectors that he trusted and we brokered a major purchase to me and it was clear the widow was well represented and over fairly dealt with. I 100% trust him and have told my wife to do just that.

While I am in the same boat as others, never spent a dime my family doesn't need and am well insured..but I also would like my collection dealt the respect it deserves.


Edit to add that I have also instructed my wife to donate half the money she would get back to said shop owner and his charities. Again, this guy deserves sainthood and for those living in the Washington area know exactly what I am talking about.

[mrmopar]

Got me curious now. I stopped searching for good local shops years ago, as it seemed to be a waste of time, but not even aware of any north of Seattle any more.

Is this closer to home for you or closer to Seattle?

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Cool topic with some priceless comments...


A while back I actually had this discussion with a local card shop owner...and this person in real life is the salt of the earth, one of the best human beings I have ever met frankly. Crazy weird to say that about a shop owner as most fit the mold of the Simpson's "Comic Book Guy". Anyway, he told me if something ever happened God forbid, to have my wife bring my collection to him to handle. That would either be an estimated insurance value to keep, or to help sell. He said he has had this conversation with other like collectors, and this has happened before. I was the recipient once of a sudden collectors departure where the shop owner called his known vintage collectors that he trusted and we brokered a major purchase to me and it was clear the widow was well represented and over fairly dealt with. I 100% trust him and have told my wife to do just that.

While I am in the same boat as others, never spent a dime my family doesn't need and am well insured..but I also would like my collection dealt the respect it deserves.


Edit to add that I have also instructed my wife to donate half the money she would get back to said shop owner and his charities. Again, this guy deserves sainthood and for those living in the Washington area know exactly what I am talking about.

[Harliduck]

I live north of Seattle, but the shop is south...DJ's Sportscards in Renton. Worth the drive for me...it's been around since the 80's, not too many survived.

It's literally the only shop I know of in Western Wa worth going into. Much like you I have given up...

[mrmopar]

That is one of two I still go to, Card Exchange in north Seattle being the other. However, I mostly just buy supplies at CE now. DJs is hands down the best shop I am aware of locally now and like you, think it is worth the drive. I work in Tukwila though, so I am close during the week if I need a fix.

I was not sure if maybe you were talking about that one in Marysville and knew something I didn't! Went in once and have never been back.

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I live north of Seattle, but the shop is south...DJ's Sportscards in Renton. Worth the drive for me...it's been around since the 80's, not too many survived.

It's literally the only shop I know of in Western Wa worth going into. Much like you I have given up...

[mrmopar]

I have thought about this subject more and more lately as I approach 50. My kids have no interest and although I still enjoy it, the more I see issues with counterfeiting, trimming and general fraud just to make a buck, the more discouraged I get with the whole mess. I would like to think that they would approach it smartly and try to learn and sell if necessary, but I do have a lot of stuff and not all of it is worth taking the time to go through. The thought of trying to go through it myself is overwhelming to me, so I can understand my wife and kids would not want to take the time.

I have been trying to organize a little bit here and there and ultimately would like to have the "good stuff" identified for easy sale. I have also started to stash away some business cards of larger eBay sellers and consignment sellers to give them some options w/o having to do research. If I can continue to organize and get everything the way I want it done before I kick it, then I will probably write up something along the way explaining where and what is worth spending time on.

[tulsaboy]

I am relatively young (40s) but have a wife and kids and have thought about this as well. I have a modest collection (sub 100k in value) but there is at least enough there that it is worth my wife's time to make sure that she doesn't get ripped off and that she maximizes what she and my kids get out of my collection, if for no other reason than to take a really nice vacation or get a new car out of the deal if I croak early. I have not only baseball cards, but some other collectibles that have only sentimental/collector value to me but have monetary value to others.

For my baseball cards, I have instructed my wife to talk to two of my friends who are also collectors, and who won't do anything to rip her off. They have agreed to help her dispose of the collection, and to help her achieve a fair market price for what is there. Much of my collection is unopened packs/boxes/cases, and so it is easy to move and will not pose a problem for disposal in fairly short order when I go.

For the collectibles, there are some items that are headed to a local museum. They are that rare, and need to be available for others to see. The rest of that body of assets have been viewed by another collector/former museum curator who knows their value and their rarity, and will be able to help my wife dispose of them in an appropriate way.

I think in this area, as in lots of other parts of life, it revolves around trust. You need to set up an appropriate outlet that will assist your heirs but one that you trust entirely to be fair not only due to their relationship with you, but out of respect for your heirs. No system is perfect, though, and undoubtedly someone will see their acquisition of your collection/items as a "find." That's not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, I would love to know that after I go, someone else would find as much happiness and amusement in the things I have enjoyed owning as I did.

kevin

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by mrmopar

That is one of two I still go to, Card Exchange in north Seattle being the other. However, I mostly just buy supplies at CE now. DJs is hands down the best shop I am aware of locally now and like you, think it is worth the drive. I work in Tukwila though, so I am close during the week if I need a fix.

I was not sure if maybe you were talking about that one in Marysville and knew something I didn't! Went in once and have never been back.

I forgot about CE...haven't been in there in a couple of years...I have bought some vintage there in the past. I may have to stop for a visit.

Shop here in my town of Marysville is basically a "Magic" card shop or whatever...haha. We call it "stinkys" and at times I'll go there for supplies. They hold Magic (?) games during the day and the plays smells of serious BO...haha...gross. The owner is a super nice guy, but he certainly isn't interested in anything someone who visits this site would want.

[50sBaseball]

This issue hits home to those of us who are older (I am 72, closer to 73) or who have had or who have health issues. I had a stent put in 4 years ago, and since then have looked at many things differently, not the least of which is my sports card collecting.
I do not wish to burden my family with disposing of my modest collection (mostly 50s baseball), and have thought, as Ted (gawaintheknight) has of what I may do or my family may do. I am friendly with some dealers in the Albany NY area, and have already talked with one about buying some of my collection.
Unfortunately, this has also impacted my collecting. For example, does it make sense to buy a $100 card now only to have to sell it for $30-40 in the future?
This is a real issue for some of us.

[mrmopar]

It is a real issue for anyone who cares about what might become of the things they have accumulated and thoroughly enjoyed (or loved) and although the odds are in the favor of living a decent amount of time, you just never know. Over the years I have seen a few members of boards like this die much younger than you'd expect. Sometimes it is a disease or sickness, but sometimes it is just a major stroke of bad luck. I saw recently that one of those killed in the Aurora, IL shooting several weeks back was an active hobbyist and frequented at least one board like this, maybe more. He was in his early 30s if I recall correctly. You just never know and unless you are extremely organized or have others who share the same concern and are willing to help, many of us will probably not be ready to direct someone properly when that time comes.

[Rrrlyons]

Hey John I remember driving you down to Lynnwood to pacific trading cards back when they were just a card shop before you could drive. Now that I’m old how about the next time you go to Renton you can drive me?
Rick

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by 50sBaseball

This issue hits home to those of us who are older (I am 72, closer to 73) or who have had or who have health issues. I had a stent put in 4 years ago, and since then have looked at many things differently, not the least of which is my sports card collecting.
I do not wish to burden my family with disposing of my modest collection (mostly 50s baseball), and have thought, as Ted (gawaintheknight) has of what I may do or my family may do. I am friendly with some dealers in the Albany NY area, and have already talked with one about buying some of my collection.
Unfortunately, this has also impacted my collecting. For example, does it make sense to buy a $100 card now only to have to sell it for $30-40 in the future?
This is a real issue for some of us.

Reading thru all the responses this question stood out most to me. As long as your family is financially set if something happens to you, I don't think it matters. As long as we are buying cards for the enjoyment of it, it shouldn't matter if a card goes up in value or down in value as the true value is the enjoyment we get out of it.

It's interesting to see this post and how many of us are thinking the same way. After a 6-7 year hiatus, I just got back in last year and have basically started over from scratch. While I don't plan to kick the bucket tomorrow(I'm 49), we never really know and as my collection has grown over the last year, I have been contemplating these same issues. My wife and daughters don't really care about the cards. Some interest in a card from time to time and I know they are all tired of hearing me ramble on about 62 Jell-O. Only my youngest, who is 16 has actually wanted to listen for more than 5 minutes. But, I recognize that I need to create spreadsheets of what I have with approximate values and keep them updated from time to time. My wife knows where I keep the "good stuff" and I have told her were to take that in the event of my demise. I think we probably all have tons of random stuff that may or may not have a ton of value that would be more difficult to get rid of. That's where I have to start "cleaning up". I would rather have one or two graded cards I enjoy than a 3200 count box of random stuff that is worth $1k for example. So even if I think I'm not going to get full value for the "junk" stuff, I might as well take what I can get for it now, put it in something that consumes less space and have something I like and is easier to sell later, if need be. (Sorry, think that last bit was just me talking to/convincing myself).
Anyhow, good post and great seeing every ones responses!

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Edit to add that I have also instructed my wife to donate half the money she would get back to said shop owner and his charities. Again, this guy deserves sainthood and for those living in the Washington area know exactly what I am talking about.

Which side of the state do you live on? I live on the eastside. Not many shops in my neck of the woods.

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[steve B]

The kids are a bit young yet so they haven't really got an idea what they like. There's a lot of "stuff" I've collected, not just sports stuff, that I'm waiting on just in case they take an interest. Stuff that was pennies a few years ago, but won't be easily replaced either now or 20 years from now.

My wife has a pretty good idea of what the stuff is worth, especially the better stuff. I am beginning to offload a lot of the random junk, so the more interesting stuff isn't lost in the pile.

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by todeen

Which side of the state do you live on? I live on the eastside. Not many shops in my neck of the woods.

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Yeah, I don't know about anything over there...I'm a west sider, please don't hold that against me...