Your Collection.... Family Heirloom?

[gtb]

Just wish to ask the opinion from people of the board this:

Especially for those who have considerable no. of items... 100 or more (be it whether it is LOTR or not), What will you do with your collection if you have no intention to sell it off ? Will you pass on to your next generation, and write a will that they will not sell it under all circumstances? Or will you set up a foundation to preserve the pieces? In other words, will you treat it as if its like your family heirloom (not that you are going to die soon). But you get my meaning, huh?

 

[FlyAndFight]

While these are certainly nice collectibles, I don't see them as anything but that. Why would you pass these on to your loved ones with the stipulation that they would not be sold? Why would you care what they do with it once you're dead? If they are in need of money, isn't your family more important than some lumps of resin and powdered rock?

I don't plan on selling my collection but who knows what the future holds? I may grow tired of them myself or want to sell them in order to finance something else or simply trim it down some but I personally don't consider them a "heirloom" to the extent that a piece of jewelry handed down from generation to generation (such as a wedding band) would be.

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

Hmm... I thought of that before, and I didn't come to an answer. I guess that is one of the bridges I cross, when I find it...

 

[customizerwannabe]

Preserve this stuff? Please. It's nice but not exactly Monet. Diagnose me with terminal cancer today and it all goes up on ebay tomorrow.

 

[tomandshell]

I will pass the majority of the pieces on to my kids. I guess what they do with them is their choice! I like to think that at least a few of them will be kept by them for their sentimental value. Hopefully, that's a long way off!!

 

[Polystoner]

Seeing how my 4 year old daughter watches me ebay and sometimes says to me, "I'm tired of this toy, can we sell it?" I can see her hitting the 'bay with all my stuff even before my body turns cold.

That's fine with me, I will have burdened her with so much other baggage (psychological, cultural etc...), that I don't think she should have to bend herself out of shape for my "junk".

But then again, maybe if she is like me, she will keep all the stuff. I kept all the "junk" from my grandmother that my mother wanted to throw out.

 

[Agent23]

Diagnose me with terminal cancer today and it all goes up on ebay tomorrow.

That's a positive way to look at life. LOL... I actually probably would do the same thing and take my entire family on a cruise or something...

Seriously, If I don't sell my collection (I don't plan on it). I will leave them to my kids. I doubt my kids will love Lord of the Rings I do, then again maybe they will.

What they choose to do with them will be their choice. I would understand it if they sold them for money. But, I would like to think and hope they would keep a couple of my favorite pieces (Sauron, Gandalf on Shadowfax, Sam & Bill, Ringwraith & Steed, Kong VS. V-Rex) to remind them of me...



Hopefully, that is a long ways away thou. God willing.

 

[CAhobbit]

No plans for kids in my future so leaving them that way is out. Perhaps my niece would want parts of collection. But in actuality I'm sure most would end up in a garage sale or donation if I suddenly passed away. Now if I had time to prepare before death I'm sure I could give it to some loyal fans I've known for years.

 

[Customikey]

I'm practically buried in them already!

 

[BillDoor]

Keep 'em until the kids are in college, and then go on a really nice vacation. They'll appreciate that.

Of course, I don't have any kids yet. Still, I think this is a valid plan.

 

[FrodoEyes]

Well, at the moment I wouldnt let them go, but IF that ever changes in the distant future at least I'll make a tidy income. If I do keep them forever, yes I will pass them off into the care of any family member to do with them as they wish. And if they wish to sell, then great, I'd be glad they had the money.

 

[JSA]

I've actually considered this situation before.

If I found out I had a terminal illness, I'd sell everything in my collection ASAP,
except for one or two each for my kids and any wife if she wanted any.
I'd try to clear out everything to ease the burden for my family after I'm gone
by having more money for them after my passing, and not leaving them stuck
with the task of boxing the items up, selling, and shipping them.

If I died unexpectedly, I'd hope my wife would sell everything except any
pieces the she or the kids would want.

JS

 

[Nazgurl]

JS, that's likely what I would do to, except that I'd keep my top 5 with me until I died, assuming that I knew whatever disease I had was terminal.

But, barring discovery of disease, I don't plan on selling my collection. I have no children, so my niece and nephew will get them (and they already know that) provided that I do not need to sell them myself in order to pay for things as I get older. Should the time come (way, way down the road) that I need to live in an assisted living situation, again I would want my favorites with me, and sell the rest.

If I do indeed manage to hold on to all of them until my death, and the niece and nephew get them, they can do with them what they will. I would imagine they'll be sold at that point. Neither of them are LoTR fanatics.

 

[carbo-fation]

I really haven't given this idea much thought since I haven't even graduated from college yet. I am pretty sure I will continue to collect these statues until I get old. If I have kids then I'll probably give some of them to them and sell the rest for charity or whatever. I do know for a fact that I am not giving any of them to my little nephew

 

[Mithrandier]

I have no plans what so ever to sell any piece..............when I am dead and gone, hopefully one of the kids will keep them..................I can see them being into LOTR as much as me and my wife.................if kids did not want them she would probably sell them off, my guess...............but I do not consider them a family heirloom, no....................just like a collection of books or dvd...............now had they been passed from my father to me and maybe from his father to him (impossible I know)............then maybe it would be an heirloom...................

 

[Gondor59]

I'm taking them with me.....

 

[gtb]

I'm taking them with me.....

Thanks for all the contribution, personally I felt great to know what many fellow posters here felt the importance of their family...only Gondor59 who suprised me that he will be taking them with him... oh my! You have Tolkien personal signature you know that?? Thats something worth keeping! Burying it, is like destroying part of history... well, no negative intentions, just my personal opinion.

Btw, I am suprised not to hear from Josh about this topic... I usually will see him everywhere...

I felt that preserving it for a while until such that when your loved ones need the money to do something will be good option as long as you have the space to keep them... if you are doing that, then I think you are already them as family heirloom..

and its interesting to see how some of us will want to keep certain pieces even when we are facing death...will tell which are those which are dear to us, though I think they will never be as dear as our loved ones.

I once told my wife (who is also my partner in this collection) that though I spent my whole life-savings on these... they are but materialistic, if you ever need the money to do your business. I can sell everything without blink of an eye. And should she succeed, we can get them back, the power of money will do its wonder in situation like this. "Will you think there will be no one to offer their CT or Balrog AP if you offer 10,000GBP a piece?". Yes, a ridiculous price - but if money is not a concern - then it is not a concern.

I can imagine if Donald Trump is suddenly a collector, he can have instant collection within the next 24 hours... or maybe less...=)

 

[The Dwimmerlaik]

My idea is to make a special room for my collections, then when my son (if i have a son) when he is old enough show him my collection and tell him that he will be responsible of all those things when i die (if i die ) he or they can make whatever they want, sell it, destroy it, dunno, but ill be really happy if they stay and preserve it for a far future.

 

[King Darkness]

I will pass the majority of the pieces on to my kids. I guess what they do with them is their choice! I like to think that at least a few of them will be kept by them for their sentimental value. Hopefully, that's a long way off!!

Ditto....I hope that when I am dead and gone my collection will have some kind of value(not $$) to my children....I think of toms FF story were the kid has a hard time remembering his father but then sees his collection and is flooded with memories...not to say I want my kids to forget me, but I would like them to have that kind of connection.....I would haunt them forever if they ever sold one single piece of my collection...do they know how much time and money I pu into my col...oh ...

 

[daelith]

If I find out I'm going to die, I'm gonna have my LOTR collection melted down to make me a polystone coffin etched with the tree of condor on the lid...very classy methinks.