exit strategy?

[sportscardpete]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Darryl- yes Bruce did hire me to do a book about his collection, and we even had a meeting to discuss how we would proceed. Then he walked away from the project without even an explanation. It was like it never happened. I think he shifted his interest to rooting out all the hippes living in Zuccotti Park, and sending them all to prison. At least that's the gist of the occasional emails I receive from him.

OT

He's an active participant on the Occupy Wall Street group on Facebook. He keeps making all these funny threats, and everyone is going crazy on him.

[jp1216]

I will always keep scans/website pictures of my cards. Past and Present.
I don't keep all of them - just special ones. It's fun to see what was once in my box of goodies. I've thought about (but not planning) an exit strategy. My unofficial plan would be to sell most everything and consider picking up one 'very special' piece to pass down to my son. Something that would be easy for him to sell or keep. Rather than passing down 100s of slabs and binders.
My dad recently gave me his coin collection. Talk about being overwhelmed! No inventory, no price guides - nothing. I don't know anything about coins. I realized I could never do this to someone. My collection is now all copied on computer files and spreadsheets - along with some hobby friend's contact information.
Of course, financial situations arise. My plan for that would be to make it clean and quick. No regrets, just realizing personal priorities. Keeping a couple personal favorites and unloading the rest. How quick is quick? I'd say 6 months.

[bbcard1]

I am going to spend some time and put together my experience in selling my friend's collection. He died of lymphoma early this year. I have done decently with it and my experience has given me a lot of insights, I think. I sent an email to SCD about possibly doing an article (despite my frequently illogical posts, I have a fair amount of experience in it) but they did not seem to have any interest.

It has also made me consider "thinning the herd" considerably, but it has not gotten past the considering point.

[Rich Klein]

A project I needed to take care of so my mother-in-law could move back in.

So my MO is to contact Leon and a former co-worker at Beckett,,, and let them take care of things for me ---- and tell them to pay me when they are finished.

Rich

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by sportscardpete

OT

He's an active participant on the Occupy Wall Street group on Facebook. He keeps making all these funny threats, and everyone is going crazy on him.

Why does that not surprise me about Bruce? Although I havenever met him and have been reading his posts for 10+ years now, he seems like "a good guy".

Regarding whether or not my children will enjoy the collection and having it provide meaning.....I am not really sure. I know to some extent they will appreciate it as it belonged to me. However, at some point the practical implications get in the way.

Zach Wheat

[steve B]

I'm going with the "king tut" plan.

Seriously, I'm grading a few of the nicer things just in case. And my wife is fairly knowledgeable. She also knows who to call if she can't deal with it all. (Multiple people across many hobbies)

I'm hoping my daughter will take an interest in some portion of the collections and build on them. She's not quite 2, so I'll have to wait a while and see. I do know that she found her first card to be very tasty, and has a great time with the empty toploader I gave her when she was being too grabby while I was sorting some cards.

The massive assortment of modern extras is all going away fairly soon. Sent some of it to a localish auction and did fairly well.

Some of the better collections I'm putting together some info on, a website for one, and an album for another with all the important info.

Someday if I find the right place the bikes may go to a museum. That collection is good enough, but sending some of them off would hurt a bit.

Nick Basbanes wrote a book about book collectors that had a wonderful chapter about how differnt collectors handled this very thing. The methods ran the entire spectrum. Donation to a university, sale after passing, special auction while still around etc. The guy who auctioned his stuff enjoyed seeing a new generation get excited about the stuff he'd gathered and been excited about.

Steve B

[Vegas-guy]

When I sold my entire collection back in '03 - '04 and for the most part made a clean break as well. I sold everything that had value, but my heart was still in it! Even after everything was gone I found myself checking ebay, auction sites, and visiting the set reg. from time to time.

Over the years since I sold my cards I started buying a few items, mostly signed balls of the 500 home run club and a few team balls of the yankees, but it never had the same feeling as collecting cards! I'm just now starting to get back into the T206s.

I have no kids and my wife nor I want any so I won't be handing anything down, for me it will all go when it's time for retirement (thus the thread I started "If you had...") I've bought stocks, have a 401k but it's not as fun!! I would much rather be able to look and enjoy my "investment" Not sure I'd ever be able to just walk away....

[iwantitiwinit]

Gonna take it with me. Told my wife to crack open all t206s and put'em in my right breast pocket before they cremate me. Pix of her and the kids of course in my left.

[barrysloate]

I'm reading that a number of people are saying their kids currently have no interest in their collection, but they're hoping that they will when they get older. While a few might, there's a pretty good chance most won't. Collecting baseball cards is not for everyone; in fact many people see no point in it at all. But everyone likes money. So maybe planning to sell one's collection at some point isn't such a bad idea.

[atx840]

I am just getting in so never thought of an exit strategy. My dads almost complete set of 52 Topps was handed down to me and I cherish it, but next month I will be selling all but 2 cards (Mantle PSA 3 & Mathews PSA 5) to help him fund his summer cottage renovation.

My 3 year old daughter owns 2 T206s, McIntyre and Jones because they have pink skies and she thinks they are neat. She gets to open the weekly packages that arrive and its a fun ritual that I want to continue. Between her and my son they will get the entire "collection" and they can do what they want with it.

My plan is to have high res scans of every card and do an annual Apple photo book of everything and keep building it up. I will more than likely keep the cards in it that I no longer own just for nostalgia/posterity sake.