Inheritted large private collection - NEED HELP

[lance_miller]

Hi everyone,

 

This is my brother's account and I don't know if any of you knew him, but he passed away at 41 years old of a diabetic coma two weeks ago. My dear brother was an avid classic game collector. He lived in the Niagara Falls, Ontario area, in Canada. In going through his place (devastatingly sad task) we have found his LARGE collection of Classic games and hardware. THere are over 1000 games just in his apartment and many many consoles, controllers, and attachments. My parents say there is 3 times that amount stored in their barn. My brother was no dummy - he was very bright, mensa member, who had a very specific collection with many rare pieces. He never thought to make arrangements for this treasure in case he died early. Trouble is, neither my self nor my elderly parents have a clue about what is valuable and what is not, and even if we did we don't know how to deal with the collection effectively. I live on Canada's west coast and will be returning there shortly.

 

Since all of you are collectors, I'm open to suggestions on how to deal with the collection.

 

Option 1) Get in a dealer or dealers, have them give a quote on what they would buy it for in bulk, and maybe bid against each other and take the highest bid

 

Option 2) I haul the vast quantity of stuff to my house in BC , learn to deal on Ebay and slowly (and I mean slowly) sell off the collection - but having no clue how to pair things, or what things are worth

 

Option 3) Getting a knowledgeable auctioneer (is there even such a thing??) and have all the stuff in one location and then sell it off, after a healthy advertising campaign.

 

Option 4) Store it at my brother's place for 10 years and deal with it later. Ughhhhh

 

PLEASE HELP WITH YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE OPINIONS. What would you like to see done with your collection should you die? We're in a real quandry, and we want to honor his life work, and meticulous collection and energy put into such an interest, and deal with it right.

 

Sue

[Itchy Koala]

This is my opinion in regard to your very last question:

 

If I were to pass away I would want my belongings shared with the people here in this community, Atari Agers really know how to take care of and appreciate video game collectables. I would chat with a few people on here that are dependable to get price ideas, and put the video game equipment up for sale in our marketplace forum. Since you have already made a post, you pretty much know everything you need to know about making posts in our forum, so you won't have anything to learn.

 

This is just my two cents, I think your brother would really appreciate his collection being passed on to people who can really appreciate the things he had. Also, if you post the items on ebay, it is most likely going to be us Atari Agers bidding on it anyway, we would just have to compete with resellers (I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your brothers collection sold to resellers so they can profit off his collection).

Edited March 17, 2011 by Itchy Koala

[Cebus Capucinis]

First, let me say I am very sorry for your loss. It's hard to lose a family member, especially unexpectedly and so soon.

 

I'll throw a bid in for option 1.

 

You will always get more bang for your buck listing rares individually, though, so that is always the best recommended route. Ebay is pretty much your only option, sadly, though you can certainly try GameGavel or the Marketplace here in the forums. GameGavel is a great site and is very easy to use, but is still growing, so you don't get as much "mass appeal" there as you would through Ebay. But I'd say to try that first, anyhow!

[A_Locomotive]

I didn't know your brother on here but you have my condolences. I know how hard it is to lose a family member to soon. If you make a list of his games and post them in this thread the forum members here(myself included) I'm sure would be more then happy to help you figure everything out. I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would be interesting in buying from your brothers collection as well. Ebay would definitely be a pretty good and relatively easy way to sell(though time consuming), and its also a pretty good tool for gauging what people are willing to pay for games and consoles.

[Midnight Synergy]

Hi Sue,

 

I'm very sorry to hear that - this must be very hard for you.

 

Dealing with a large collection among all the other things from a passed loved on is never easy - and it can be a large task. I would strongly suggest that - unless you want to just get rid of it - you don't rush into selling. Unless there is a real pressure to move the collection (because you don't have the space, or because of financial reasons) I would suggest that it can probably wait as you have many other things to deal with.

 

If (or once) you do think the time is right to sell: My guess is that if your brother was a collector, he would probably be most happy with the idea of the collection going to other collectors.I didn't know your brother, but perhaps others did. One suggestion would be that you take lots (and lots) of pictures and post them on this site. I'm sure there are many people here that would advise you on what things would be worth selling and perhaps even buy them from you. Anything that is not rare could be probably sold (in a big lot, at a discount) to a local used games store. I don't know of any in Ontario specializing in Vintage games (I'm in Saskatchewan), but others on the board might have suggestions.

 

Above all, I know that I would certainly not want my collection to be a burden to others. If the financial worth of the collection is a secondary concern to you, your first option (getting quotes from dealers) would certainly be the easiest. You can spend a lot of time selling and sending out individual parcels.

 

Again, my condolensces.

 

Patrick

Edited March 17, 2011 by Midnight Synergy

[+5-11under]

Sorry for your loss. I'm actually just down the road in "downtown" Vineland, although I never knew Lance, that I'm aware of.

 

I'd suggest finding out which items are rare, or worth over a certain amount (either yourself or someone from AtariAge). Sell the items that are worth less in bulk lots, and the more rare/expensive items as singles, either via eBay or AtariAge (AA would be a bit simpler, probably, although you might get a bit less for the items).

 

I'd consider taking anything worthwhile with you, to sell at your own pace, maybe after additional investigation. If you need, I might be able to act as a middle-man for the more common items, if it's not too overwhelming of a collection. I could help with packing, shipping once the items are sold (with a minimal handling charge probably, depending on the scope).

 

It's definitely worth your while to at least find out if there are any items that are rare. Some items could be worth significantly more than a lot of the others, and it'd be a shame if you sold it to a local dealer at a cut-rate prices.

[The_Laird]

Sadly I can't help (being in another country) but I just wanted to offer a suggestion.

 

I am sure there are quite a few AA members in that area and knowing how wonderful the members are here I am sure there is somebody who could help you value it all and sell it and maybe you could offer them a cut of the profits for helping out?

[awhite2600]

Hi Sue

 

I am sorry to hear about the passing of your brother.

 

If you are looking to sell all of the games locally I have heard that 1Up Games in Hamilton is a great classic game store. I have never been to this store, but have heard good reports from collectors in the local area. I'm told that the owner pays very fair prices. Hamilton is only about 30 minutes from Niagara.

 

I agree with some of the others that you will make a better profit if yo sell the games here or on eBay. However, if you are looking to sell everything quickly and get a good price then you might want to contact 1Up Games.

[SlowCoder]

+1 to what everyone else has said. I 2nd 5-11Under's offer to assist you personally assist you. He's an established member and is very knowledgeable. The_Laird is also knowledgeable, but he sucks, well, because he lives in another country.

 

Good luck to you.

[lance_miller]

Thanks for your replies everyone. The points about selling to other collectors really has my attention. My brother hated people that were out to scam others or screw them over in a deal. He would hate his collection to be de-valued to me and then high valued on a store floor. I like the idea of selling to other collectors.

 

I'm just not sure how I would do that.

 

Here's another couple questions for you, as I'm totally new to this - I've never played a video game system in my life, nor really seen one.

 

- Do you think that the classic gaming market for things like Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Atari, Sega is at their peak now? Being that anyone who really loved these games would be in their 40's now, and would be at the stage of life where they're most likely to have money. And that in 20 years maybe the crowd will be in their 60's and no longer buying, or would be looking to sell their own collections. And maybe the generation to follow doesn't have an appreciation for the games. Thoughts?

 

-Do you think the market for classic games is greater in Eastern and Central US/Canada than on the west coast? (trying to decide whether to haul all the games out to the west coast to my place and sell from there.)

 

thank you to all of you, each and every suggestion is very valuable to me, and I'm writing down all the great tips

 

Sue

[lance_miller]

Thanks AWhite. I have the 1Up owner coming to the location here to examine the lot and give a quote tomorrow to buy in bulk. I've PM'd 5-11 too, as I really appreciate the offer for help. thanks for your input - it helps knowing who's questionable and who's not in the gaming world.

 

sue

[The_Laird]

Despite the current worldwide economic crisis I think the market for retro video games is as big as its ever been right now especially judging by some recent eBay auctions.

 

Also I don't think your location matters at all. I buy from all over the world and most other collectors do too.

[Midnight Synergy]

My take on your questions:

 

* as for east cost/west coast, it shouldn't matter. If you're selling it all to a store, it's really up to the individual store. And if you're selling to collectors, it'll all be online and shipped across the continent/world anyways.

 

* as for future value - this is often debated on this site, so you'll get several opinions. Personally, I think prices will go a little bit down after their peak... but in the _far_ future they might come up again as the number of working consoles becomes fewer and fewer.

[+5-11under]

Sue, I've sent you an e-mail. I suggested to sell any items that were thought to be worth > $100 each via eBay (auction), and any worth less than that via AtariAge and CGCC (ideally with prices listed). Any leftovers once that was exhausted would be sold at a CGCC swap meet.

 

I think the owner of 1UP games is active on CGCC, and is as much a gaming guy as a businessman. You won't get the maximum value of course, because he needs to make money too, but this is probably one of your best choices for a one-shot deal. This may be a lot of outlay for a small business to handle, so I wonder if that will have an effect on what they're able to offer.

[VectorGamer]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

This is interesting because I'm going to throw this out there and the respective parties can decide if this is up their alley or not.

 

You may want to contact Mike Kennedy (AtariAge user ID: Parrothead) who runs GameGavel.com which is a video game auction site. Perhaps he can assist in helping you listing these and getting fair value for these items.

 

It could be a win/win/win situation for you, GameGavel and collectors.

[+5-11under]

Important update here... Sue, hopefully you don't mind...

 

Sue just sent me a picture of her brother, and it's actually "Technosis" (AtariAge, cgcc.ca) who passed away. I'm not sure who lance_miller is, but it sounds like he is someone else. I can't explain what the deal is with the accounts, but maybe that doesn't really matter.

 

Technosis was a fairly regular poster here, so I'm guessing that at least a few of you knew him at least to some degree. I actually bought some games from him about 15 years ago, and over the past half-dozen years or so, looked forward to seeing him at the local cgcc swap meets.

[+Random Terrain]

Sue just sent me a picture of her brother, and it's actually "Technosis" (AtariAge, cgcc.ca) who passed away. I'm not sure who lance_miller is, but it sounds like he is someone else. I can't explain what the deal is with the accounts, but maybe that doesn't really matter.

Just did a quick search and both members posted in this thread:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/131014-adventure-vision-for-sale-for-a-mere-60-bucks/

 

So it was the same guy?

 

 

Anyway, I hope more relatives will do this when other AA members die. It would suck for people to disappear without knowing what happened to them.

[The Usotsuki]

Hello other side of Niagara Falls! *runs*

[Xtincthed]

sorry to hear your brother passed away.

 

My opinion is that, in case you have the storage space and are not in need of money, store the games and sell them when you need money..

if you do need the money, either pick 1 or 3 whatever has your personal preference

[potatohead]

Oh man. That's a hard one. Sorry you lost him.

 

Do you need to deal with it right now?

 

If you don't, maybe it's worth learning something about!

 

Seems to me, your last few words there, "deal with it right" kind of indicate that it's worth securing everything, then figuring out what there is. From there, start to pursue some options, after understanding better.

 

Do you like classic games? Could this be a way to kind of connect with your brother in a way you would find gratifying? There is a whole part of him there for the looking. Maybe that is important to you, or worth it.

 

If it were me, and I had built something up like that, I would want it to matter to somebody. How it matters can vary. Could be money, could be time spent, or enjoyment / entertainment, etc...

 

Should anything along those lines be something you might find favorable, or maybe one of those "which I had..." kinds of moments, don't do much right now. Make a friend or two, or phone a friend or two, and start to take some inventory and go from there.

 

Might be a whole lot of fun. Might just be a lot of work too. Not sure where you are at on all of that.

 

The other thing I think I would want on a collection of mine is for the stuff to be played, or just to be fun.

 

Who do you know? Do they know somebody, or do they understand this stuff?

 

If I were you, I would seek out somebody who you can talk to, and get to a place where you can have some fun with this stuff, and deal with it as you would in a low pressure way. That way, nothing is really forced, and there is that time to do it right, without too many worries.

[VectorGamer]

 

 

PLEASE HELP WITH YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE OPINIONS. What would you like to see done with your collection should you die? We're in a real quandry, and we want to honor his life work, and meticulous collection and energy put into such an interest, and deal with it right.

 

Sue

 

I want to follow-up on this with some of my thoughts...

 

First, I would advise that whatever you decide that you have no doubt in that being the right decision.

 

When I die, my children would inherit my collection. I have told them the reason I collect is to preserve the history of video gaming from the classic era. I'm hoping they follow in my footsteps and pass that along to their children just like I have done with my Dad's baseball card collection.

 

As far as dealing with this later I think that could be a mistake strictly from a financial standpoint. I think you would be better off liquidating the collection when you don't need the money and investing that money in a mutual fund with portions of the proceeds in a low-risk fund that will allow you quick access to cash. Invest the other portion in a stock fund so that your money will appreciate much larger than an investment in a retro gaming collection.

 

Even if you liquidate, you could consider keeping a part of the collection in memory of your brother. Maybe even dedicating space in your house as a gaming area.

 

Also, be advised that a lot of collectors regret selling their collections like I did when I was a teenager back in the 80s.

[MagitekAngel]

As a fellow Niagara Falls native, I am sorry to hear of this and I offer my condolences. I am pleased to see so many offers to help from AtariAgers. I have been with this community for a couple of years now, and know most of the regulars to be hard-headed, honest folk who share a passion not just for games, but the memories they create and the lives they bring together. These are people who can be counted on to help ensure these games go to homes where their value will not be neglected.

[lance_miller]

Hey thank you so much everyone. I really appreciate your very thoughtful comments. I have been MIA with the collection at the apartment, so sorry about not commenting. There are about 1200 games there, and about 25 consoles of all different genres and all the controllers and unique attachments to go with them.

 

Thanks especially to potatohead, and rmearz for their very thought provoking notes. Made a LOT of sense.

 

I have taken some of the best of the units and my children will be able to play them. They are young now but when they get older they will have a ball. (4,4, and 6) I like the idea of a room or gaming area to keep Chris's memory alive. He was into techno lights and gadgets and I'm hauling a lot home.

 

As far as the collection, from the research I've done in the last three weeks, its worth a lot. I'm hauling it out to BC and will try to sell it in lot batches. Or a few at a time, there won't be any pressure. I have a gigantic house and its just the kids and i so I have room to have them there. I feel good about this decision and my parents and brother are happy too.

 

I've learned so much about my brother I never knew prior to this task of getting the collection together. I have a new found respect in many more ways than I already respected the guy. He was a brilliant collector, using middle of the road games for "currency' and focussing on very rare games. He has many MUSHA's, for instance. I only wish I had known all this about him at this intricate level before he died - it just didn't happen as I live on Vancouver Island. My parents have also gained a huge respect for the collection through this too, and have learned about a different side to Chris they didnt' know of before.

 

I totally respect the classic gamers. I've learned a lot and will need to learn much more. I'll be picking your brains for sure!

 

Hugs to you all,

 

Sista Sue

[potatohead]

Hi Sue.

 

The kids playing them is golden. You hit it out of the park. I don't know your brother, of course, but if he's like most of us, knowing the kids will jam on that stuff, maybe with Sis looking on with a grin, would be about as good as it gets. I think they will connect on a level not otherwise possible. That's gonna be worth a lot!

 

Some of us are here for the collecting. Others are here to build, play, explore. I think all of us are here for the memories and the experiences. It's literally history, and IMHO, important history for anybody going through childhood today.

 

Good call, and take care. If it makes sense, check in with us, from time to time. It's a good story, and you seem like a great woman. (married here, so take that as a honest compliment) Would be nice to hear how it all goes down.

 

My own kids are fascinated by the old games. Right now, it's kind of a lull, because they are in that 20 something stage, but they will come back to experience again. I've two boys and two girls. Both used to enjoy the "pull out the old stuff" around Xmas time. Was a tradition for a number of years. I watched my older daughter (story is here somewhere actually) play KABOOM, and get hooked just as I did. Excellent. And yes, I'm gonna send her a machine and that game when she settles down some.

Edited March 22, 2011 by potatohead

[Goochman]

Sue,

 

Its always a sad day when we lose an avid collector like your brother - I dont have much to add on top of the others but I think you are leaning towards what I would suggest:

 

1. Get everything in 1 place

2. Pick a box to start with and post pictures/questions in the Marketplace forum here. You will get alot of advice there on what to do. You could even sell some of the items there to avid collectors before going to ebay

3. Anything you didnt sell send to eBay - anyhting left over donate to charity.

4. Use profits for anything your brother would've enjoyed (charity, niece/nephew college savings, big family vacation, etc...)

 

Rinse and Repeat until you've gone through everything.

 

Good luck!