On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Chuck Harris wrote:

Smokey wrote:
Thanks Colin. As is so often the case, your comments make more sense than
most on this newsgroup. I should have figured that I could expect vacuous
suggestions ("Did you ever think of donating to a radio club? Duh") and
sarcasm not to mention the tedious stand-uyp comics (who should keep their
day jobs). Jeeesh...I am NOT giving the stuff away now (hopefully I've got
a
lot of years left).. Nor am I interested in walking away with any money
from
it. Nor am I interested in one entity getting it all. I just am interested
in the stuff being received by someone who will appreciate it. As for those
vultures who fly around widows trying to peck them clean, I am all too
aware
of that situation. We as hams don't have very clean hands in that respect.
We've all seen it.My whole reason for putting this posting out is to plan
for something instead of my executor landfilling my good stuff. I think I
am
going to go about this another way because, other than your comments, most
others were worthless.

Smokey

In spite of your attitude, I would like to put in a couple of points: we are
engaged in a hobby that is rather unique. The stuff we see as valuable, most
everyone else in the world sees as trash. It's a shame, but that is the way
it is.

We should not single ourselves out. How many people spend tons of money on
antique-junk cars? Hunting guns, stamp collections, and all manner of
other hobbies. They all have to deal with their collections.


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If you are at all like me, the value you see in a piece is largely
a result of nostalgia.

In the first place, once you die, it isn't going to make any difference
to you what happens to your material possessions. It should make some
difference to you, before you die, knowing the degree of a mess you will be
leaving behind for your spouse and heirs to clean up.

About all you can do, is try and not accumulate trash, and to leave some
instructions to your executor that itemize the major pieces of your
collection,
and assigns each piece a realistic value. Your instructions should
suggest how to find likely customers for your collection, and perhaps
even give the task of disposal to some willing friend.

And if all your good stuff ends up in the landfill, then perhaps, it
will join you in the afterlife. (eg. you can rot together ;-)

-Chuck (who will be leaving behind quite a mess!)