[ARC5] Managing Yiour Colection, WAS Item 300447369243

[Robert Caponi]

I myself do not get most of todays throw away mentality. Especially when it comes to perfectly good gear.

I used to work for Honeywell in a division that spent more time throwing away equipment and parts than finding a way

to sell product. I did pick up a Fair amount of my shop tools there, like a General Radio 1650B Bridge.

Too bad most people today feel a dumpster is better than putting it at a curb with a FREE sign on it!

73, Rob KB1PZM
 
> Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:14:24 -0700
> From: n3rht at yahoo.com
> To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net; Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Managing Yiour Colection, WAS Item 300447369243
> 
> Helped clean out an estate 2 months ago. The son came in from out of town with 
> his son and they had one week to dispose of a house full. First order of 
> business: Order a DUMPSTER. By the time I got there, they had it 1/2 full, 
> packed tightly. Full of what you ask? gorgeous Teletype gear, old wooden radios, 
> parts by the ton, etc. They would not let me "tear apart their packing" to get 
> the stuff out of the dumpster--and off to the dump it went. 
> 
> 
> The stuff they thought had value was all posted on Craigslist--and of course 
> sold for pennies on the dollar. Pennies. I hauled away one van load full--packed 
> front to back and top to bottom--for $340. I went back the next day and bought 
> approximately 40 old RR kersosene lanterns with markings on them from PRR, B&O, 
> etc. I had no clue what they were worth. I just knew they were worth more than 
> the $200 he wanted for all 40 of them. 
> 
> 
> There's a lesson here. It's actually very simple: The house you are living in is 
> probably worth 10 times as much as your radio collection. In this economy, make 
> that 20 times. Your heirs will want to realize the value out of the house as 
> quickly as possible. All the radio collection will be to them is "in the way". 
> Forget any instructions you have left behind and so forth. NOBODY wants to sell 
> all that "crap" on eBay and then have to pack and ship it one by one. NOBODY. No 
> matter how much they love you. 
> 
> 
> I would advise you to "manage" you radio "holdings" the same way you manage your 
> investment portfolio. Unfortunately, in the present economy, most radio 
> collections are near worthless. Military gear is doing okay. Collins ham gear 
> and "the best of the best" antique radios are holding their value. Everything 
> else? Put a $20 tag on it and forget it if you have to sell it today.
> 
> Don't shoot me. I didn't make the rules. I just happen to know what they are. 
> When the housing market collapsed, the collectibles market went with it. Cars, 
> motorcycles, radios, everything. There are not enough buyers. To few people 
> have any real money. And the ones who do are only buying if the value is dollars 
> and their cost is pennies. 
> 
> 
> Ask any lawyer about disposing of an estate today. The first thing they will 
> tell you is this "assume everything in the house is worth nothing." All the 
> value is in any real estate and investments and cash. End of story.
> 
> It's ugly. But there it is.
> 73, Don Merz, N3RHT
> 
> PS: It's the same story as above with the computer guys. You can find buyers for 
> your Altair 8800 and your DEC PDP-8. After that the buyers drop off a cliff and 
> are never heard from again. They only want "the best of the best". 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "arc5 at ix.netcom.com" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
> To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net; Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
> Sent: Tue, July 20, 2010 9:28:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] [Milsurplus] Item 300447369243
> 
> Makes me sad when I hear about the guy with a warehouse or three 
> stacked full of "stuff."  He dies, and someone has to deal with all 
> the dusty, neglected equipment he was going to "get around to someday."  
> I learned the hard way-  
> Too much stuff is an albatross around your neck.
> Dealing with it is time and soul draining.  
> Most of us need to realize 
> that there are a lot more days behind than there are ahead.  
> Decide what you really, really care about.
> Shed the rest as quickly as you can.  Be ruthless.  
> When your last day comes (and it certainly will),
> you will either smile about all the fun you had 
> with projects you actually finished,  
> or eternally regret the stacks of equipment
> you "didn't get around to."
> 
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