Gun collecting perspective

[viceunit]

An acquaintance of mine recently had his home burglarized. He has quite a large gun collection I've come to learn as my son, who is also an officer on my department, conducted the initial investigation. Tim is nearly 80 years old and has so many guns he was not sure what was actually missing. He thought about 10 different long guns were gone, but a couple days later he found some of them and realized some handguns were gone.

A detective went to the house for a follow up. Tim stores most of his guns on the third floor. He lives alone. Wife is in nursing home. Kids all grown, some live near, some far. House not alarmed and no safe. Someone broke a window in back door, entered the house and basically went directly to 3rd floor and filled a trash can with whatever they could carry and obviously knew where to find the stuff. The place is ripe for a re-visit

But here is the "perspective" I am referring to. Tim has closets stuffed full of ammo and so many guns that most have never been fired. He is so feeble that the detective said Tim had to resort to crawling on all fours to climb the stairs to the 3rd floor. During his life when he collected all this stuff, I wonder what he planned to do with it? If he ever was a recreational shooter, I guess he didn't "recreate" enough! I don't get it. It is not right to die with that much surplus and know the vultures will be picking over your collections.

I may be wrong and I don't mean to be critical of anyone here or anywhere who has such a stockpile, but I hope you are actually enjoying it. Tim may have been better off spending that money on some nice vacations and still have a few guns laying around. He will never drop a hammer on one tenth of 1% of all that ammo he has stored up.

This has given me some perspective. I've gotta start shooting more of my stuff and enjoying it. Oh yeah, and set the alarm.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

Tony people are different. He enjoyed just having those guns. They made him happy. He may not liked to go on vavation, I know I don't care for it all that much. Don

 

[klondike]

An old friend of mine was an active collector until he turned 103. When he and his wife moved into a care home, his son sold the collection to pay for his parents care. That was how he planned it. Since it was a sizeable collection that began after he got out of the Navy in 1920 (served in WWII also) he most likely made a good return. He lived until 105 and his wife about 8 years after that.

 

[feralmerril]

Sadly, I am close to the discription, but several levels lower. I plan on getting more active this summer. Last year a very old friend of mine that was married to a lot younger ex girl friend of mine got terminaly ill and shot himself. He was a war 2 vet in his later 80s. I know some of his guns and tools were sold for a song. He did sell a lot shortly before he killed himself. He also was big on restoreing classic cars, motorcycles and tractors. He also sold a restored 56 T-brid. What got me was she called me a couple days ago and told me she sold a model T speedster for 3,000 dollars! He had left a note telling her it was worth at least $8,000s! I have a picture somewhere of it, but it looked almost identical to this one I found on the net.
I knew she wanted 8K, but had I known she was going to sell it for 3K, I would have been glad to give her 4K.
This happens to a lot of us!!

 

[Bailey Boat]

IMHO..... It will happen to ALL of us if we don't do something to prevent it. Remember the saying "Nobody gets out alive"......

As for me, I keep my inventories up to date to include the usual info and pics on the gun as well as the most current market pricing. I have also instructed my wife to contact my most trusted friend immediately upon my demise and he has been instructed as to the disposal requirements.

 

[ingmansinc]

I believe that when one no longer has a need for an item, be it guns, wood working tools, etc. it should be gotten rid of in the most practical manner. When I retired I gave my daughter all my shop equipment used in my home improvement business and as I become to old to shoot I will pass those guns along to family. Collecting for the mere sake of it has never interested me personally. I like to downsize and make life simpler for all concerned.

 

[zercool]

During his life when he collected all this stuff, I wonder what he planned to do with it?

Good question. But my guess is he may be like many of us - a good deal is hard to pass up, and there'll have to be a use for it someday ... right?

I've got a couple partial boxes of ammo in calibers I've never owned and have no plans to own - because they were a good deal. Most of what I do have will get burned through at one point or another, though, and the prices aren't going down.

I've picked up guns because they were a fair deal, with an eye toward either later trade fodder or a tangible retirement fund. MrsZ and I have had that discussion more than once. If it came down to brass tacks, I'd sell most of my collection in order to keep us solvent. There are a couple pieces that aren't negotiable, though.

And finally ... even if I don't get to the range as often as I'd like (does anyone?), I still take most pieces out of the safe every once in a while just to handle. Pull a patch through, wipe them down, dry fire a couple times, just to make sure things are still working right and that they feel loved.

 

[Joe Kent]

I think what many people do is try to understand why others do/collect thru their own eyes and reasons. Plain and simple, You Can't. Many people just enjoy collecting without any thought of shooting, others , myself included , cannot stand to have a firearm without the correct ammo on hand for it just in case I want to shoot it whether or not I ever do. The guns that I consider "using" guns ,I generally have back-ups as well as a bucket load of ammo for each of them. Plain and simple, the man in the lead post just enjoyed having them and maybe could not acknowledge the fact that he perhaps should be moving them. In either case, they are his to enjoy as long as he can and quite frankly once he passes, he won't care.

 

[novalty]

Obviously, everyone knows they aren't taking them with them when they go. I think it emphasizes the importance to have the written down (serial#, model, description), and identified where you want them to go when you pass. Which is important--as in this case a break in occured, and how many guns were taken is unknown. Also it helps minimize any family conflicts when you pass. My maternal Grandfather passed away two years ago, and didn't have anything written down on what he wanted to happen to his 30+ gun collection. So my Grandmother passed one down to each of his grandchildren (6), and sold the rest to help pay for expenses--unfortunately other family members thought they were entitled to them, and my Grandmother had to deal with more than her husband's passing.

 

[s&wchad]

... It is not right to die with that much surplus and know the vultures will be picking over your collections.

A while back, I explained to Mrs. Chad that we have a spread sheet listing my stuff, what I think it's worth and how she should go about liquidating it, if I die first.

She looked me right in the eye and said, "I'd never sell your guns... I'd use 'em to get another guy."

She said it with a straight face too. Then she let out an evil laugh!

 

[44forever]

Obviously, everyone knows they aren't taking them with them when they go.

If I can't take them with me then I'm not going, so there!

 

[H Richard]

Everyone should have a "Trinket Clause" in their will. This is a document that describes the list of items and the specific disposition of each item. I have certain guns destined to certain children/grandchildren, but a statement that my spouse or executor shall sell the remainder and apply the cash to the estate. If there are any relatives that want anything other than what I have left them, they can buy them, then inherit part of the purchase price back.

This should also list grandpa's gold pocket watch, grandma's marble mantle clock, the good silverware, etc. My brother in law was an attorney, and the worst fights he ever saw in his office were relatives fighting over misc. items that "Dad" or "Mom" or "Uncle Bill" always told them would be theirs.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I'm really not too darn worried about what happens to my stuff when I'm gone...

'Cause I'll be gone.

All joking aside, I've got a really good will, and have some trustworthy people to take care of what I'll have left- after I get finished spending the sales of what I've accumulated.

However, if I kick the proverbial bucket before I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor...I guess I'll never miss it, will I?

 

[OLDFED]

I've been watching that "Pickers" program lately on TV and am amazed at the barns full of stuff that some folks collect, apparently just for the fun of it. Years ago, I had the opportunity to buy some stuff from a friend's widow, including some NICE, OLD guns. I asked her what she did with his swords, etc. She said she tied them together and put them in a trash can on the street. As I had never seen his swords, I asked her what they looked like and she said "They were those 'Japanesie' looking ones." I nearly had a heart attack! One man's trash is another's treasure.

 

[LTC]

About 45 years ago a friend of our family, husband died at the age of 80 or so. She was telling my mother she was upset because as she was cleaning out their lake cottage she kept finding guns.

Not wanting anything to do with them she had rowed several old hand guns to the middle of the lake and deep sixed them. Who knows what they might have been.

My Mother told her that I would be interested in any more she might come across and to please let me know if she found any more. Well she did and I ended up with several mid 19th century rifles of varing calibers and several hand guns of the same vintage. The oldest was a Allen & Thurber pepperbox dated 1839.

I still have this small colection and value them above their worth because of where they came from.

LTC

 

[feralmerril]

I know quite a few storys of what we are talking about, however I never was on the receiveing end of one like probley that garbage collector! When I was a 11 or 12 year old boy back in 1952 or 53 I did buy at a county auction of some neighbors that died on county ade, a nice modern steel hammerless double barrel PARKER shotgun for $21s!
There was a large crowd at the auction and some guy dropped out at $20s. Oh well, I later got screwed out of it anyway. I suppose today it would be worth north of $4,000s!

 

[fyimo]

I have a lot of guns and I'm 66 and I sometimes wonder what will happen to them when I take the dirt nap. I've concluded from watching folks at our VFW die over the past 7 years that you can't be sure what will happen to your prized possessions when you go as some may become cherished items and they will hold onto them forever and some may be quickly sold for whatever they can get to fund something they want or to pay bills.

I've decided not to worry about it and as long as they bring me pleasure I intend to keep them. When that stops I will give the ones I want to the kids and grandkids that I hope will keep them. The rest I will sell and enjoy the money if I'm still able to.

I also collect coins and have an extensive collection and I get sick on Ebay when I read some of the coins for sale descriptions and it says I inherited these and have no interest in them so I'm selling them.

Enjoy what you have and never be confident that what happens to them when you pass away will actually happen as you can’t be sure.

 

[BlackSky]

"House not alarmed and no safe"

Not responsible gun ownership in my opinion.

 

[Black_Sheep]

She looked me right in the eye and said, "I'd never sell your guns... I'd use 'em to get another guy."

She said it with a straight face too. Then she let out an evil laugh!

That sounds like something my bride would say!

I will distribute my meger collection to family members in the event that I live long enough to be "too old to shoot". My wife has a list and the safe combo in case something unexpected happens to me. If something unexpected happens to my wife and I then it falls on my brother in laws shoulders. He also has my list and the combo for the safe. Nothing I own is truely rare or desirable but they are all special to me. Hopefully they will also be special to the family and friends that will eventually end up with them.

As for the elderly fellow whose home was burglarized, the same thing happened to my Grandpa although to a lesser extent. I'd like to think that there's a special place in Hell for those who prey on the innocent and weak...

 

[pharmer]

"House not alarmed and no safe"

Not responsible gun ownership in my opinion.

Sad, but true. Guns shouldn't be the "burden" of the honest person but crooks and politicians have sure made it a reality. joe