To bequeath or not to bequeath. That is the question.

[daktion]

As this pandemic rages on. It has recently made my mind think of what would happen to my collection if and when I pass away. I have no children, or nephews and nieces for that matter.

Over my lifetime I have accumulated, arguably the most extensive Miami Dolphins collection in the world. I have at least one card of every player that has ever played for the team, including over 200 custom cards with signatures of players that never even had cards made of them. Since I have no heirs, I was wondering what to do with them after I die.

I was thinking of donating them to the team, so they can put them on a display at the stadium or something like that.

Just wondering if you all have some suggestions or maybe what you have set up.

Thanks, Brett

 

[mm1sub]

I have thought about this also. I have a collection of roughly 350,00 cards. i have only baseball but my cards go back to the late 50's until the present day. My children hace absolutely no interest in them at all. They are not even sports fans. I went and stayed with my daughter in massachusetts and she does not even have cable. I went to a restaurant to watch the NBA draft. I have talked to my wife and I told her to contact an auction house and auction off everything. I also let her know that she is going to get pennies on the dollar for what I spent but I just think there is not much else of an option. I have thought for a long time that is no longer a kids hobby.

I like your idea of contacting the team. But conatcting an auction house and see what they have to say is a pretty good option also I think.

Thanks,

Bryon

 

[zlw1]

I would contact the Pro Football HOF in Canton as well. A collection like that deserves to be displayed so everyone can see it!

 

[mrmopar]

I think that naturally becomes a subject to ponder as we age. I think we all hope that we can collect until we die, perhaps clutching a prized card in your hands as you take your last breath! A little morbid, but for most of us, the thought of getting rid of a collection we built piece by piece, often over many years or decades is painful. We then hope our kids will accept this collection and treasure it the way we did. Not likely in most cases.

The team donation idea is nice, as your collection is probably loaded with obscurities that only die hard collectors/fans would appreciate. The team may not even want to deal with it though, so it's best to inquire ahead of time.

I think the real tough answer is to sell when you are still alive and can maybe use the money for some other type of enjoyment. Since we don't live forever and can't take it with us, what is the point of having boxes, binders and displays of sports memorabilia sitting around? Perhaps you sell at a steep discount to make it easy, take the cash you get and travel, buy whatever the amount allows you to afford or even donate the money. I can't even imagine letting someone else get their dirty little hands on my collection, but we are only borrowing this stuff and as good stewards, we should make sure it is properly passed on to others down the road, at least the really good stuff.

I always thought it would be fun to do a gigantic dutch auction/raffle with an entire collection. Not one like you see on ebay where you get the promise of a certain type of card or value (because I don't trust one single seller like that to offer much more than the stated value), but a true blind auction that liquidates a massive collection down to nothing. Any lot could contain $1000s of value, but the next lot might be worth $5. Collecting has become so much of a lottery mentality anyways. The tough part is getting enough people to participate, keeping it honest for all involved and getting the amount you need to blindly send someone more value than they are paying for because many more buyers overpaid for what you sent them.