Reading this article made me think about stopping in to see how all you are doing.  

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114083232066183248-3_yPrOHBN0M5WJLDYi_8KI5wcsM_20060305.html?mod=blogs

I really need to write down instructions for my wife concerning my collection if I die first.

That quite a range of collectibles.  Final editions of closed newspapers sounds kinda interesting.  
Others...

the 700-member National Toothpick Holder Collectors' Society, gives away toothpick holders to young people. She tells them, "Here's your start." But few get hooked.

...not so much.

Any time you start feeling silly/obsessive, remember how far up the collector's ladder we are.  

When we die, I guess if you don't have interested relations, a mass seller like cougar, guido, Titan, Noble Knight, etc. maybe the best option.  Would anyone here really want to drop a couple grand on someone else's full collection?

McDuff wrote:Reading this article made me think about stopping in to see how all you are doing.  

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114083232066183248-3_yPrOHBN0M5WJLDYi_8KI5wcsM_20060305.html?mod=blogs

I really need to write down instructions for my wife concerning my collection if I die first.

This is really good advice.  Back when we first got started on seriously buying up old collections, I had a woman come in with "boxed games" she said, filling her van.  I was anticipating "monopoly and life" and went out to her van, and saw 500+ Avalon Hill and SPI games (and others).

She wanted $2 each, and not really knowing what they were worth, I insisted on paying $5 each.  I put them on our website (this was 1999) and listed them all for $35 each.  You know, Bloody April and GunSlinger and Titan all for $35 each (along with the dogs).  

Lucky for me a fellow retailer clued me in to what their real value was, and I sold them at much more - and still kinda feel bad I didn't pay more.

Two years ago a fellow had died, and he left his daughters instructions on his collection of miniatures.  He had about 125,000 fantasy 25mm figures, hundreds of blisters and boxes, the oldest and rarest of Ral Partha, Grenadier, GW and more.  They wanted $16,500 for his collection (which I could not afford at the time) and ended up taking $12,250 for it.  But, had they just wandered into their local store and sold it, they may have gotten as little as, perhaps, $500?

I have also heard stories about comic collections being dumped to a local dealer for 1% of thier value.

Your collection is the culmination of a love of games as your hobby, and you have put hours of your life into it (and money, don't forget money).  Catalog it, share it's value, and recommend 3 or 4 dealers you would trust to buy it from your loved ones!

I imagine my coin collection will, eventually, be sold on eBay by my daughter (and every coin is labeled as to it's value!).

mordrin wrote:Would anyone here really want to drop a couple grand on someone else's full collection?

I'd pay a couple of grand for some of the collections here.  It wouldn't be as much fun as finding the stuff piece by piece but it would probably be a lot cheaper.

so when I think its safe to aquire my first set of OD&D books (ie my wife wont kill me for spending the money on some "books") everyone will back off and I'll get them for $25?

Disjected wrote:so when I think its safe to aquire my first set of OD&D books (ie my wife wont kill me for spending the money on some "books") everyone will back off and I'll get them for $25?

Just tell her that she's lucky you're not buying that Gutenberg.

le Rahib wrote:I have a question,

Do you know that in 50 years for example (not far away from our life expectancy here on that board   ), a collectible market for D&D items will still exist ?

Actually, I don't think so. I firmly believe that all those who did not know that RPG like we did won't have much interest in this stuff.

le Rahib wrote:Maybe it will be the better way for them after all. -For the gemstone I have some doubts, I will prefer some ashes' dispersal à la Big Lebowski !

Counterwind?

le Rahib wrote: Do you know that in 50 years for example (not far away from our life expectancy here on that board   ), a collectible market for D&D items will still exist ?

Now there's an interesting question. With the staggering advance of computer technology, it's not unthinkable that we'll see "true" Virtual Reality that interacts with many of our senses in our lifetimes. Imagine a "DM" being able program a dungeon akin to the Niven/Barnes' Dreampark.

So would people still want to do cooperative storytelling the old-fashioned way -- P&P RPGs?

I feel optimistic. Movies have CGI nowdays that is virtually indistinguishable from life. Modern blockbusters are amazing experiences. Yet...

Theater is still wildly popular! People act on stage, with a minimum of stage effects. And people still go to these productions.

Why?

In another 40 years all of our connections with reality will be probably be so tenuous we'll not need thses fantasy games to divorce us from reality

Sad but true