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Cash out or leave to heirs?
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164 posts in this topic

I started buying off the stands in the 70s - same with back issues. Hence, my collection is made up of mostly silver & bronze, which makes them easier to sell. This is a good thing because I reached the top of the hill many moons ago, now I'm heading back down.

I have one son, who is an adult now. He has zero interest in comics. I have 5 siblings. They all roll their eyes when I attempt to talk about my collection.

I have slowly begun to sell off. For 2 reasons...

1) I would just feel bad leaving such a large burden (and don't kid yourself, it would be a burden) with my family to take care of.

2) I absolutely know for a fact that when I'm gone, my family (lacking any knowledge what-so-ever about comics) would sell them for pennies on the dollar ... or just rent a dumpster.

No, I'd rather put them back out there for other kids. It's disheartening to have to play the CGC game, because the kids can't get the same enjoyment from them that I did all those years ago. But when I look at the numbers, I figure I can get more for them if I have them slabbed first.

It really doesn't bother me too much to be selling them off. I know that when I'm gone, they won't be around much longer, so I might as well 'reap the rewards' of the comics I bought and saved as a kid.

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All for my son! He loves money... a lot (and know how to keep it and make it grow). He will keep some slabs for sure but most of them will be sold by him. (Did I mention he likes money).

He will know where to go and get the best deal. Although I think he might overprice them in the beginning (thinking he might be able to get more money, which he loves)...

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7 hours ago, Jaylam said:

Hey thanks. I'm a big Yes fan. Was very saddened by the loss of Chris Squire, one of the best bassists ever in my opinion. They were (and are) such an amazing collection of talented musicians.

CHRIS SQUIRE.jpg

Off topic but just wanted to say nice avatar pic @Jaylam and great tat @MR SigS I saw Chris play the year before on that 2014 tour and saw them live back in the very early 90s. Amazing band and one of my favorites to listen to while drawing. Those album covers inspired me before I even heard the music. 

Regarding the topic, it’s always good to have a plan for the future and let multiple family members know the best way to sell the collection if it is still around. As people get older I see a decreased hold on many things including physical items so selling off parts or all of a collection as the collector ages is not uncommon. 

Edited by Darth Corgi
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On 5/21/2019 at 6:59 PM, shadroch said:

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. It's pretty straight forward.  Go to their site, look up the books they buy and consign and ship it to them. They list on ebay and their site, ship the books , pay the ebay fees and cut you a check for 90% of the sale price. There is a minimum of $5 per book so if a book sells for less than $50, its $ 5 per. You pay the shipping cost of sending the books to MCS.

Thanks, @shadroch. I've sold to them directly a few times, but I was considering the consignment option because I get tired of checking my list and seeing they only want 2 or 3 books on it.

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On 5/22/2019 at 10:02 AM, shadroch said:

 My A list is probably many people here's B list or worst. I do have a nice collection, not a spectacular one. Multiple Avengers 1, a nice Spidey run, but no AF15. Lots of GA Timley, and Schomburg covers.

Well, from a GA point of view, you definitely can't go wrong with Timely's, especially the ones with the Schomburg covers.  hm  :cloud9:

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20 hours ago, Gaard said:

1) I would just feel bad leaving such a large burden (and don't kid yourself, it would be a burden) with my family to take care of.

 

I know that when I'm gone, they won't be around much longer, so I might as well 'reap the rewards' of the comics I bought and saved as a kid.

Now, that is most definitely the Number One reason why collectors like us should dispose of our collections before we go to the big comic store in the sky.  (thumbsu

It would be virtually impossible for non-collectors to figure out how to dispose of the comics, and even if they could, they would most likely not want to put in the effort to maximize their dollars for your collection.  hm

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I remember I bought this issue of X-Men and a few days later went to and took this picture at the Yes concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. I believe the date of the concert was July 10, 1975. It was a good week as I was so excited to discover that the X-Men were finally back with new stories and I got to see Yes for the first time in concert. Later, on April 22, 1979, I got to see Yes again, this time with Rick Wakeman at Mackey Arena, Purdue University. I'm not sure if that picture is from the same concert or not as my brother's friend took that one and give it to me. (He had a lot nicer camera than what I had at the time, so he got a far superior picture.)

x-men 94 cgc 6_edited.jpg

yes 19750002_edited.jpg

yes 19790001_edited 2.jpg

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I see a lot of people saying heirs won't put the time or effort into maximizing profit, but that's not a consideration for me, I have no heirs (that I'm aware of).  Like someone said earlier, the inheritor could blow out the whole thing at a dollar apiece.  You get to keep the collection to the end, it's disposed of quickly, and some lucky stiff wins the lottery.

In my case, if I went tomorrow, my folks would get my old LCS to pick up all my boxes, and probably go 50/50 on whatever sold right away.  Mom would probably a lot of that away to the church and charity, but what can you do?

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I don’t think my collection is worth more than 10k, and even that’s if all the stars align, so it’s not going to make or break anyone. I hope it isn’t offloaded for $500 though 😂

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It's really something people should think about since it's sad when you see what a huge collection can do to a surviving family - especially if the collection is eating up a bunch of the savings.  A local comic dealer passed away suddenly last year and left his family a mountain of long boxes of books.  His wife and daughter thankfully have been part of plenty booths so they know the industry but even they look overwhelmed just with trying to price stuff and clear out some books to pay the bills.

Edited by 1Cool
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1 hour ago, dupont2005 said:

I don’t think my collection is worth more than 10k, and even that’s if all the stars align, so it’s not going to make or break anyone. I hope it isn’t offloaded for $500 though 😂

10k is nothing to sneeze at, and funerals cost a fortune.

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4 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

10k is nothing to sneeze at, and funerals cost a fortune.

True. I'm fortunate to have a paid-by-employer 2X salary life insurance policy.

One of my young cousins was killed this winter, and they were fortunate to crowdfund $8k to cover the funeral costs.

I'd personally prefer to be cremated and celebrated at a friend's/family's house. Keep it cheap and personal.

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On 5/24/2019 at 12:51 PM, 1Cool said:

It's really something people should think about since it's sad when you see what a huge collection can do to a surviving family - especially if the collection is eating up a bunch of the savings.  A local comic dealer passed away suddenly last year and left his family a mountain of long boxes of books.  His wife and daughter thankfully have been part of plenty booths so they know the industry but even they look overwhelmed just with trying to price stuff and clear out some books to pay the bills.

Clearing comics is easy, bulk boxes can be posted on craigslist and disappear within the day.  I may catalogue and price my better stuff when I start feeling the icy fingers of death, but I'm not expecting anyone to make a part time job out of my collection.

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A different perspective some may not have considered....

If my heirs...whomever they may be...don't have interest in my collection, and just want to dump it for pennies on the dollar...well, I'll be gone, so it really will be their choice at that point, but more importantly...if might fuel someone else's collection and imagination to get something that they would be thrilled to own for far less than it would cost them "on the open market."

Yeah, sure, there might be some sharks, and I'd make sure they watched out for those...but think what a thrill you could provide a young person by selling them....or even giving them....a collection with a "retail value" of thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

We talk about "maximizing profit" so much that such an idea might prove anathema to some...but it's something worth considering. You may even have your eye on a younger collector who has treated you well, and "gifting" it to them as a collection just might be the gift of a lifetime.

Sure, my heirs might not get as much money as they otherwise would, but they may not be interested in doing what it takes to earn it in the first place.

The only thing I would NOT want to see is the entire thing thrown in the trash, which I am pretty sure won't happen. But that would be the only unacceptable loss to me.

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