I'm guilty of this.

My father was not in the home after I was 5 years old, and I did not reconnect with him until I was in High School. He's passed, and there was no animosity between us. In fact, there was nothing between us. I have nothing of his and I don't care.

I was close with my Grandad, and the few things I elected to keep of his I have since disposed of (no guns-he never owned a gun in his life). Turns out that while they meant a lot to him, they didn't mean anything to me. I still have the memories which I find the most valuable.

I got his desk, but it turned out to be so old and rickety that it wasn't usable. To do so would have ruined it. I sold it to an antique dealer. I gave away his antique bamboo fly fishing rig to an acquaintance that collected such things. I'd rather somebody appreciate it, rather than have it sit in my closet for 40 years. One knife is still in the family, I gave it to my son.

Another knife that was given to my wife by her grandmother (it was her Grandfather's) was sold after siting in my safe for a couple of decades. It was pretty valuable. I actually felt bad keeping it, as I felt I was neglecting it as it was locked away in the dark. It was old and not something that should be used considering it's value. Better it go into the collector community that will cherish it and care for it. We used the money for our daughter's wedding and I think the old man would have laughed like hell if he found out I got $1,500 for his knife, and that we used it for his great-granddaughter's wedding. Suckers!

We still have the grips for a Colt Agent that he gave my wife, knowing I was a gun guy. He had long disposed of the gun, but he gave my wife three sets of vintage grips: Genuine Ivory, Genuine Mother of Pearl, and Stag. When my wife got them she instructed me to obtain a duplicate of his revolver, which I did. Plus I added a T-grip. This is one of her guns.

So where there is a common interest between generations there can be a connection to inanimate objects. My Grandfather-in-laws knife was just a fluke. He was a butcher so he wasn't going to buy a cheap pocket knife. He just happened to make a good choice. I'm not a knife collector. When my wife found out what the knife would sell for she was the first to say "Sell it!"

Other than that, it's just dead people's stuff.