Parting Ways with My Collection and I Feel Awful

[Benelli1776]

This isn't an ad, but just getting it off my chest. So, the time has come I need to sell quite a few of my collectibles. Anyone else have that Fear of Missing Out feeling when it comes to selling your cool stuff? I want to hold on to them for 30 years, but…sigh. Anyway…I am sure that I am mot alone in this.

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[JuglansRegia]

I have only sold off guns l knew l wouldn't miss. I am sure it hurts but l realized a long time ago there are way more guns out there than l have money.

 

[Old Dog]

I get it. You are most definitely not alone.

For many of us, it was The Big D - the divorce.

For others, major medical expenses due to long-term illness, disease or catastrophic injury to themselves or family member..

And, I've had a couple buddies who lost their jobs, and it took them a while to get back on their feet.

It sucks. But the upside is that if you have enough stuff to sell that will help you/your family get through this, it's just stuff -- and can mostly be replaced. Family can't.

Life happens.

 

[Benelli1776]

I get it. You are most definitely not alone.

For many of us, it was The Big D - the divorce.

For others, major medical expenses due to long-term illness, disease or catastrophic injury to themselves or family member..

And, I've had a couple buddies who lost their jobs, and it took them a while to get back on their feet.

It sucks. But the upside is that if you have enough stuff to sell that will help you/your family get through this, it's just stuff -- and can mostly be replaced. Family can't.

Life happens.

Thanks man. I appreciate your kind words.

You're absolutely right that family cannot be replaced.

These firearms are cool, and I sure as heck learned a lot about their history and function, but they are material things that "can" be replaced. Imma miss my numbers matching items.

 

[Joe13]

I sold my entire collection minus my inherited guns at the end of my wife getting her degree.

Money can and has replaced a lot of it.

The other upside is that my wife has never questioned any of my purchases since then.

 

[Stomper]

I love my family (mostly)…. but not THAT much.

 

[Joe13]

Firearms are in general a great investment if you buy wisely.

I made money on all of those sales (at least enough to cover my costs) except my hunting rifle and that was about a 10% loss.

At one point it was suggested to me that my spouse would rather I just put the cash in the safe. My response was that it is to easy to just grab cash and harder to sell a firearm for the money which would and has kept us honest.

Especially since I will do everything I can to never have to sell another one.

 

[66PonyCar]

So, I sold all my collectible firearms about 3 years ago. I did hang on to one pistol. My reason for selling was not financial. My kids are not interested in firearms, and I did not want to burden my wife with having to dispose of a gun collection should I predecease her. She would not know where or how to sell them and would lose money if she took them to a pawn shop.

Recently, I had the sad duty of helping my sister-in-law sell her husband's gun collection after he passed away suddenly. She had no idea how to dispose of them and came to me for help. I don't want that to happen to my wife.

I did keep all the guns I shoot regularly and if they end up at the pawn shop after my passing, so be it.

 

[DB is Here]

Outside of an 1970's 1911 nothing I own is collectable...they're purely functional.

I treasure the freedom that arms tend to guarantee and hence have collected a few items that can no longer be purchased in Washington and that is a shame.

Those items will never be sold no matter what, as they can't be replaced in this sadly idiotic state.

 

[Benchrest]

Why sell?

When I pass my kids will have to go through my stuff, I expect a great many "WTF dad!"

 

[Benelli1776]

I can't confirm nor deny I made wise choices

 

[Cavedweller]

This isn't an ad, but just getting it off my chest. So, the time has come I need to sell quite a few of my collectibles. Anyone else have that Fear of Missing Out feeling when it comes to selling your cool stuff? I want to hold on to them for 30 years, but…sigh. Anyway…I am sure that I am mot alone in this.

Fear not, the pain is survivable. I decided to part with my rather sizable milsurp collection several years ago, for exactly the reasons expressed by 66PonyCar below. I was fond of each and every one, but I got over it. I kept a few that I might actually shoot from time to time, and that my heirs might find useful in the future, or at least wouldn't be a burden to dispose of.

So, I sold all my collectible firearms about 3 years ago ... My reason for selling was not financial. My kids are not interested in firearms, and I did not want to burden my wife with having to dispose of a gun collection should I predecease her. She would not know where or how to sell them and would lose money if she took them to a pawn shop.

Recently, I had the sad duty of helping my sister-in-law sell her husband's gun collection after he passed away suddenly. She had no idea how to dispose of them and came to me for help. I don't want that to happen to my wife.

^^Yeah.

 

[Old Dog]

My current collection will go mostly to one daughter, and she understands the monetary value involved and that if she chooses to liquidate -- and does so wisely --much of the collection, it'll cover at least a year of tuition at an Ivy League college for a grandkid...

 

[boattail]

No issue that I can see. I plan on selling off some of mine in the next five years. I have nobody to leave them to anyway.

 

[TTSX]

No issue that I can see. I plan on selling off some of mine in the next five years. I have nobody to leave them to anyway.

Hi new dad

 

[Benchrest]

I can't confirm nor deny I made wise choices

The problem is my adult children, being local, is they've seen my garage

I don't plan on departing anytime soon, but I've already prefaced the "WTF dad!" with all of them.

God will sort me out, the rest is up to the kids

 

[Nosferatu]

The family might fetch more, depending on what condition they're in.

 

[nammac]

Fear not, the pain is survivable. I decided to part with my rather sizable milsurp collection several years ago, for exactly the reasons expressed by 66PonyCar below. I was fond of each and every one, but I got over it. I kept a few that I might actually shoot from time to time, and that my heirs might find useful in the future, or at least wouldn't be a burden to dispose of.

^^Yeah.

All these reasons. I'm also re-evaluating what I have and why. Expect the result will be a simplification and right sizing of the collection…. I'm in the no one to will them to arena, so simplification now will make it easier on the wife if anything happens to me.

 

[Diamondback]

I'd consider a Right Of First Offer clause added to all sales contracts. In a nutshell, what this means is that if the buyer ever decides to sell, it must be offered to you or your heirs first and then if you/they deline it can go open market.

The M4 I completed in memory of a fallen friend, I had put a ROFO on the sales agreement when I bought his project parts, nd after he joined the Two Dozen I reached out to his kids to ask how they wanted to proceed and was told "finish it in his memory and add it to your Teaching Collection, let his story add to the lessons it teaches."

 

[Bobbygun]

I love my family (mostly)…. but not THAT much.

drop

(do we not have a mic drop emoji?)