A question all of us collectors will answer one day

[livealoha]

Hello,

So, one of my friends passed away recently and his family is over burdened with having to deal with his collection (not sports cards) going through boxes and boxes. They simply don’t want to deal with it. (Understandably so)

So this leads me to my question for all of us that collect baseball cards.

My question is, using my friend as an example, in the end, since we can’t take it all with us, at what point in our collecting journey do we just “sell it all”?

I’ve seen a few posts over the years where people getting up there in age have no choice but to sell it all (it’s sad to see) but I guess we will all reach that point/decision one day.

I’m wondering now if it is best to just sell it all now and use that money to go on a trip, make memories or buy something I’ve always wanted (a big purchase of something perhaps) or just keep cards in a box collecting dust (some cards I haven’t looked at in years)

Anyone else ever think of this? Thanks guys.

[ThoseBackPages]

great topic.

Sorry to hear about the death of your friend.

was their hobby one that had grading as an option? i get that there are (and seemingly growing) a lot of folks that dont care for it, but there is no denying it can really be a "for dummies" guide to what someone is looking at when they are holding it in their hands

selling it all now and buying a big card is a great idea, as i feel the collector in a person never truly goes away.

[livealoha]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

great topic.

Sorry to hear about the death of your friend.

was their hobby one that had grading as an option? i get that there are (and seemingly growing) a lot of folks that dont care for it, but there is no denying it can really be a "for dummies" guide to what someone is looking at when they are holding it in their hands

selling it all now and buying a big card is a great idea, as i feel the collector in a person never truly goes away.

Not nothing graded. It was a collection of lots of stuff like books, beer/soda cans/ magazines and just a lot of junk (almost like hoarding)

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by livealoha

Not nothing graded. It was a collection of lots of stuff like books, beer/soda cans/ magazines and just a lot of junk (almost like hoarding)

ahhh ok.

[mchenrycards]

I sold the majority of my collection off over the last five or so years for this very reason. As a set collector, I have boiled it down to five sets I want to assemble which are the 1973 to 1977 Topps baseball sets which were the sets I first collected as a kid. I still have a few things I intended to keep but just yesterday decided to sell the remaining cards so my wife does not have to deal with it upon my death. I would hate to have to burden her with such a mess of stuff that is nothing more to her than cardboard.

Do I miss the Ruth's, Gehrig's, Aaron's and so forth? Of course I do but it was time for someone else to hold and enjoy these treasures for awhile.

[livealoha]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

ahhh ok.

Now I’m starting to think (and agreeing with you) that maybe graded is the way to go to help those with liquidating my collection when the time comes. I’m also thinking that maybe now while we are all healthy (and younger) maybe cashing in now and making good memories/experiences is the smart move? It definitely has me thinking (and we should all be thinking about this question) thanks

[livealoha]

Originally Posted by mchenrycards

I sold the majority of my collection off over the last five or so years for this very reason. As a set collector, I have boiled it down to five sets I want to assemble which are the 1973 to 1977 Topps baseball sets which were the sets I first collected as a kid. I still have a few things I intended to keep but just yesterday decided to sell the remaining cards so my wife does not have to deal with it upon my death. I would hate to have to burden her with such a mess of stuff that is nothing more to her than cardboard.

Do I miss the Ruth's, Gehrig's, Aaron's and so forth? Of course I do but it was time for someone else to hold and enjoy these treasures for awhile.

This is EXACTLY why I posted! Glad to see that I’m not the only one that thinks like this!

[Badgers0821]

Everything will go to my kids

[Cracktoast]

Let's be honest 90+ % of us aren't going to leave a treasure trove of valuable cards. Maybe at most a value of a few thousand if we are lucky. That said I agree that graded vintage is the way to go and make sure in your will that the executor (Prefereably a lawyer not a family member) is in charge of selling the collection at auction and splitting the money equally among whoever is in the will.

[hermanotarjeta]

Sell when it’s not fun anymore.

Let the survivors deal with the rest, sports cards will probably be the least of their concerns to have to deal with.

[Tom Oates]

Yeah, I had to bug out for a forest fire less than a mile from my house. Just the centerpieces of my collection filled a four runner. It was at that point that I knew it was time to down size. It is a slow and tedious process.

[mikejones]

Pass it down to your kids (family members). Let them decide what to do with it.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by livealoha

Hello,

So, one of my friends passed away recently and his family is over burdened with having to deal with his collection (not sports cards) going through boxes and boxes. They simply don’t want to deal with it. (Understandably so)

So this leads me to my question for all of us that collect baseball cards.

My question is, using my friend as an example, in the end, since we can’t take it all with us, at what point in our collecting journey do we just “sell it all”?

I’ve seen a few posts over the years where people getting up there in age have no choice but to sell it all (it’s sad to see) but I guess we will all reach that point/decision one day.

I’m wondering now if it is best to just sell it all now and use that money to go on a trip, make memories or buy something I’ve always wanted (a big purchase of something perhaps) or just keep cards in a box collecting dust (some cards I haven’t looked at in years)

Anyone else ever think of this? Thanks guys.

I plan on selling everything when I retire. There won’t be anything sad about it. I’ll use the money for experiences/memories with my family. You can’t take this stuff with you when you die. Why burden family with it?

[dk57]

It's why I narrowed my collection dramatically and have been selling anything that doesn't fit.

No matter how much you plan, dying causes a burden.

[Triple B]

I'm not in my 20s any more and my mortality is a real thing now. I started condensing just before the pandemic and have been at it since. I sold about 80% of my collection last year as well as 90% of my action figure collection and turned it into cash. I'm still buying, but instead of 10 $100 cards, I'm buying one $1000 card. I've left instructions with my wife on how to sell what I have left (under 100 cards) so when I'm dead, my wife and kids aren't looking at an area full of stuff they have no idea about or what to do with.

As for leaving it for my kids to deal with, my kids don't give the first or last damn about cards. Make sure you all have an exit plan.

[dantheman514]

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

I plan on selling everything when I retire. There won’t be anything sad about it. I’ll use the money for experiences/memories with my family. You can’t take this stuff with you when you die. Why burden family with it?

This is the same theory I have. I think the journey of collecting is the fun part, so selling my collection to ease the financial burden of retirement (even a little bit) just makes sense.

[PoPCulture]

I hate my wife. My plan is to try to triple the size of my collection over the next 5 years.

[Triple B]

Originally Posted by PoPCulture

I hate my wife. My plan is to try to triple the size of my collection over the next 5 years.

#hero

[finfangfan]

This is a great thread. I’ve been slabbing most of my nonsports collection over the last year and essentially vaulting it at COMC until it sells. I then use the proceeds to submit and slab more stuff there. My out of pocket expenses for this project are basically just my shipping costs at this point and store credit handles everything else.

My biggest obstacle at this point is what to do with my comic collection. It’s much harder to ship bulk comics than it is cards. Plus, I don’t think comics will move as easily as cards.

[cardsin47]

I’m retired and wouldn’t dream of selling - I’m gonna’ keep building it, and when I croak, my 3 sons will each get 1/3rd to do as the please. It’s me passing on an unforgettable legacy.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by PoPCulture

I hate my wife. My plan is to try to triple the size of my collection over the next 5 years.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1592479

So your answer would be “Yes, routinely?”

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by dantheman514

This is the same theory I have. I think the journey of collecting is the fun part, so selling my collection to ease the financial burden of retirement (even a little bit) just makes sense.

I would also hate think what my family would do with my collection. They would either not sell anything ever and just have it take up space, or sell it in one lump for 10 cents on the dollar. At least if I sell it myself I can make sure it’s done right.

[Boo]

I'm glad some of you know when you are going (after you retire). Please let us know the number of your psychic.

[bigdog2003]

This is something I think about a good bit. I have told my family what to do/where to take my collection if something happens to me. I have some nicer stuff that won't be hard for them to move, but I have a lot of players that I'm pretty sure nobody is going to want. I've told them to sell the big stuff that I keep in the safe, and do whatever they want with the rest. If they want to take it all to the LCS and get whatever they can to split that's fine, if they want to throw the Nick Ciuffo PC in the trash that's fine.

I'll be gone, I don't care what happens to the cards.

[coltsnsox07]

We're all just temporary time keepers of things.