[AMRadio] Huge Radio and Tube Collection up for Grabs

[W4AWM at aol.com]

It is very easy to set up an Excel spread sheet inventory.  You can  have a 
column for make, model, serial number, date of purchase, price paid,  
estimated resale value and anything else you think is necessary. I have one  
spreadsheet for my ham gear, test equipment, major tools, cameras, audio/video  
equipment and even the contents of my storage unit and vacation home. I keep 
a  copy on my computer, external hard drive and burn a CD after any major 
addition  which is kept in the bank.  I have also contacted a noted ham gear  
auctioneer and have placed his contact info in my vital records.
 
I, too have seen what I call Vultures who descend on hapless survivors  in 
some instances even before the funeral and skim off the cream of the gear at 
 pennies on the dollar. Most of this winds up at hamfests or at some online 
site  netting the seller big dollars. In one case, I was instrumental in 
netting an  estate $25,000 after a Vulture has skimmed off the modern gear for 
 pennies and left the widow with 3 rooms and a oversized 2 car garage with  
second floor full of mostly test gear and WW-II surplus. It was amazing 
what was  there and fortunately was overlooked or thought valueless by the 
Vulture. My  gear will be tossed in the landfill before this happens to my 
survivors. I feel  very strongly about this and my family has been so instructed. 
Also, nothing  will be sold to anyone living within 100 miles of my QTH 
which will take care of  the local Vultures. The only exception to this is that 
they pay a fixed amount  up front, in cash, to assure that they will take 
everything.
 
"Prior planning......." as they say
 
73,
 
John,  W4AWM
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 6/26/2013 5:13:54 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
bob at choateco.net writes:

I have  made it a policy over the years to keep a current list of my ham 
gear
(down  to microphones) along with their estimated prices at the time. Copies
of  this list are in my wife and daughter's hands so that if anything  
sudden
happens to me, or my wife and I at the same time, , they will at  least have
some idea of what I have and what it's worth. I have seen too  many 
instances
of a ham passing suddenly and his wife basically getting rid  of his gear 
for
pennies on the dollar (sadly, most often to other hams).  Bob K9ING