Call me morbid

[Doggie]

This is part of a straw poll I'm doing for my book on "Collecting Titan chisels" and it concerns legacy issues for collectors. What, if anything are you collectors out there doing about your collections when you can't do it anymore or you pass on. I would like to know what you think about this issue. Have you thought about it at all? What provisions have you made? Do you know the value of you stuff? Have you discussed it with anyone? What do you think will happen? Do you have any knowledge of what other people have done? Anyway I hope for some meaty opinions and thoughts. Hope some of you can help. Regards. Doggie.

[hiroller]

Good question.
It was raised recently in the Metalwork Forum.
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/happens-workshop-equipment-gone-196215
I think it was also raised in the Hand Tools forum in the last year but I can't find it.

I'm not much of a collector but I think at some stage I should list and value them for handing over to the next generation.

[RoyG]

This is part of a straw poll I'm doing for my book on "Collecting Titan chisels" and it concerns legacy issues for collectors. What, if anything are you collectors out there doing about your collections when you can't do it anymore or you pass on. I would like to know what you think about this issue. Have you thought about it at all? What provisions have you made? Do you know the value of you stuff? Have you discussed it with anyone? What do you think will happen? Do you have any knowledge of what other people have done? Anyway I hope for some meaty opinions and thoughts. Hope some of you can help. Regards. Doggie.

Doggie,

The relative who is nominated as the Executor in my Will knows nothing about woodworking or tools - but he'll be a good Executor. To ensure that my tools (Collectable and Modern) are disposed of appropriately, my Will names two people (both younger than myself, so hopefully they'll be around longer then me) who know enough about woodworking tools and machinery, to be able to advise the Executor of my estate regarding values, and the best ways of disposing of those tools. My Solicitor told me that what I've put in place is a common way of dealing with specialist collections of things when writing Wills, and that all I need to do is to ensure that the two names that I've nominated are updated if either of those people nominated happen to turn their toes up before I do.

Regards,

RoyG

[Boringgeoff]

I hadn't previously seen the thread that hiroller directed us to, so read it, thanks for the heads up. I am concerned about what will happen after I cark it and have been cataloguing my collection of brace and brace tools as part of my research and for future recipients. I don't know if the purchase price is relevant as some things aren't worth today what I paid for them 4 years ago, a few others, perhaps, have gone up.
I do like Roy's strategy of nominating two advisors to evaluate his tools for his executor. I'm going to look into that scenario for my gear.
I dislike the thought of someone picking through my collection and buying the best tools and leaving the other "also rans" to become valueless. The thought of offering the collection to tender on a take all or nothing basis has crossed my mind as also has donating the whole lot to the Hand Toll Preservation Society of WA if and when our proposed permanent residence at Cornwell House eventuates.
Compared to say plane and saw collectors, brace collectors are fairly uncommon and so the market will not attract as much interest. The other scenario is to pack everything into boxes with all the provenance, catalogues etc, when I die, store it somewhere mouse, termite and silverfish proof and leave it for the kids to take an interest in when they are in retirement in 20 -30 years time. If someone told me I'd be a brace collector ten years ago I'd have fallen out of my concrete truck laughing.
My day to day user tools are a different kettle of fish, there are tools left over from when I was working ie 3/4"dve Makita rattle gun and impact sockets, possibly 40 years old, used frequently then but rarely gets a guernsey these days. All that gear can be sorted by the boys and done with as they see fit.
As an aside and completly OT, when doing oil changes on my truck, ute and car I had a 4 gallon steel watering can with a tape measure fitted inside. On the door of my cupboard in the shed was a chart with the quantities of oil for each vehicle, ie 3208 Cat' engine 11.5L fill to 160mm mark x 2. I've still got the can and the chart. Whaaaat!
Cheers,
Geoff.

[clear out]

Inappropriate language !

But seriously I will probably do similar with a few mates who are into a particular area of the Titanic sitting out there.My youngun reckons hell chuck a match into it!
A good mate of mine carked it early last year and he'd said to his missus 'don't let any bastard into the shed get Henry to help you dispose of it'.
It involved numerous trips down the coast to sort it and then I sold tools on here and machinery to a few mates.
Pam and her brother came up to the TTTG tool sale and we had 4 tables and after that a garage sale.
It took about a year but she was happy and I felt I'd repaid my mate for the help and friendship he'd given me when I needed it about 30 years earlier.
His 2 sons were pretty useless one even got shirty about two 50s motorcycle helmets I'd rescued from the skip after Pams bro had turfed them. He didn't get them the daughter who had half a brain did.
H.

[Doggie]

What, if anything are you collectors out there doing about your collections when you can't do it anymore or you pass on. Regards. Doggie.

Given that the received wisdom in this forum format comes in all over the place both chronologically and subject wise, so that you have to read it ten times to grasp what it is telling you. I thought I would paraphrase the replies and previous forum references to my and Grahame Collin's query “What, if anything are you collectors out there doing about your collections when you can't do it anymore or you pass on” I have collected these under various headings to attempt to make a structured narrative out of it. I haven't named names or identified the authors of specific quotes but I assume you know who you are. If anybody gleans anything more useful out of it please let me know.

Have you thought about it?

It’s obvious from the replies that many, but not all people have thought about it or been prompted to think about it by their personal experiences (friend passes on). These thoughts for the most part seem to be confused by a tangle of emotions centering on putting off the decisions necessary because it is too difficult or “I’m not ready yet” or, in many cases, don’t care.

What do you think you will do?

The statements of what people will do about it range from
· I'll be dead or infirm so I won't know, won't care.
· I'll dispose of what I can before that happens if possible, otherwise it's a problem for my heirs.
· I got my use out of it while I was alive and a lot of it was going to scrap when I bought it anyway.
· I am concerned about what will happen after I cark it and have been cataloguing my collection
· I have a lot of gear that should have been disposed of a long time ago, but it’s very hard to bring myself to part with it
· I keep telling myself that there is always tomorrow...
· My kids look upon my collection as junk.
· Basically I have tools to enable me to build stuff, not for the sake of owning them
· It’s probably only significant to me and not to anyone else.
· My father in law was a pawn broker, and he always said " It's worth what you get for it when you need to sell it in a hurry "
· Whether my heirs dump them or sell them or hang on to them long enough to appreciate them, who knows
· What was important to you means bugger all to your descendants and if you believe different "you’re dreaming"
· I don’t care about anyone else’s likes and dislikes, this is all about me.

But, a lot of these “don’t know, don’t care” thoughts were tempered (on second thought I guess) by larger considerations for firstly, those left behind and secondly, of not letting the collection fall cheaply into uncaring hands:
· I worry that my wife has to try and sort it all out. Can she manage the organization needed just to dispose of my gear for what will be a limited return.
· I have seen an estate sale or two where dealers turn up like vultures offering the unsuspecting widow unfair prices.
· I dislike the thought of someone picking through my collection and buying the best tools and leaving the other "also rans" to become valueless.
· The kids may be keen on some of my equipment but they don't want it all, and none are keen on sorting my stuff out.
· It really needs to be administered by someone in the know and that can be the hard bit. A Will should include a provision with a certain list of people to be contacted for advice,
· Maybe the collection has no value, but sentimentality and interestingness has its own value.

Just as there is a realisation that the love and enjoyment they have got from their collecting is not necessarily transferable, there is a feeling among many collectors that after the effort they have put in to amass the collection, they don't want their efforts squandered. Equally, it just can’t be left behind for heirs to sort out and there is an awareness also that the collector him/herself should make some kind of effort to expedite the issue . But what?

What are the options for disposal?

The suggestions for disposal ranged widely along a number of themes
· I would will the tools to a Men’s shed although often they get tools given to them they don’t want.
· I would will the tools to some deserving young person who had the need for it
· Offer the collection to tender on a take all or nothing basis
· Donating the whole lot to a tool club (HTPAA, TTTG etc.)
· Pack everything into boxes with all the provenance, catalogues etc. and store it somewhere leaving it for the kids to make up their minds.
· Leave it to a trusted, knowing colleague (Formite?) to dispose of it.
· Catalogue it and leave instructions to auction it on ebay?
· Put labels on everything saying what they are with suggested prices.
· Direct that the proceeds from any tools sold go to the wife, kids, charity of your choice or estate.
· Instruct the family to hold a forum BBQ to hopefully sell most of it off.
· I have in specific chest of tools with a note saying who's they were and what they are used for
· Establish an online forum for the disposal of collections ?
· Take your tools with you to the afterlife, like the Viking's do.

All of these suggestions are viable, even the Valhalla option (subject to environmental and fire restrictions and availability of a suitable long boat), but in the end many of them still leave it up to someone else to accomplish it informally. In other words it’s all very casual and not really binding and if the collection is worth a considerable amount of money it will be worth ensuring what you want through your Will.

As was suggested, a Will should name two people who know enough about tools, to be able to advise the Executor of the estate on values, and the best ways of disposal. Hopefully these nominees will outlive you.

Paramount to this is a proper inventory of what is in the collection and some idea of value and any special items. Methods for doing this have been taken from the forum replies.

Methods of recording your tool collection

· The paperwork has to be ready when the time comes.
· Leaving some sort of listing, catalogue or data base will be much less work for whoever gets left the task of dealing with it.
· A full tool list also useful to enable a quicker turn around on an insurance pay out.
· A database is not hard to get and some will have provision for photos.
· I have a note book listing all my major items.
· I catalogue them and attach histories/qualities/uniqueness etc.
· Absolutely everything I buy goes onto a spreadsheet the day it’s bought. Date, item, brief description, price, postage, serial number, where from, with another column for a replacement retail if its second hand (a lot is).
· I have insurance and I just email them a tool sheet every now and then and they add it to part of the record in case of something terrible happening.
· My wife knows what everything is and the price paid and that gives her (or the estate manager) a good starting point for negotiations.
· Cameras/phones can take video's and these can act as a pictorial database
· Panning a movie camera around the room will capture just about everything on show
· There are free photo catalogue programs where you can add several fields of information to each photo.
· If it’s written down, there are always ways to corroborate it
· If you don’t have to be a spreadsheet. I use Google Docs Sheet.

I guess my take out from the combined wisdom of the Formites that replied to both my (Doggie) and the previous, identical thread from Grahame Collins on the Machinery forum is that if you can pass on (or not) your collection any way you want informally but if you feel strongly about your legacy, putting it in your Will as suggested seems the way to go and there are indeed precedents and facilities for this. Either way, an inventory would seem both prudent and necessary, not just for future (God forbid) estate purposes but for “right now” insurance situations.
Regards
Dick

[hiroller]

Nicely collated.
Much like your collection no doubt!
Most of of have "collections" that are of value only to ourselves and of limited value to others. However, I'm sure there are some significant collections amongst us that are worth keeping together. How that is assessed is another question in its own right.

[Doggie]

[QUOTE
Most of of have "collections" that are of value only to ourselves and of limited value to others. /QUOTE]

Very true in nearly every case. I've seen some sick making examples of the disposal or some awesome collections. Just makes me sad. A constant reminder of how little our mortal concerns matter in the scheme of things. Got to be Sixty plus to get this message though. One has to make supreme efforts to squeeze the pips out of whatever floats your boat, while you can.
Doggie