What is going to happen with all your collection after you die?

[amiman99]

Hi,

 

Recently one of my coworkers died and it got me thinking...what should I do with my video game and classic PC collection after I die.

I'm not planning to go soon, maybe 40 50 years to go, but still..you need to plan ahead.

Hopefully my grandchildren will be into it

My fear is that when I die ALL the stuff may end up in Goodwill or EBAY or Estate sale if I don't plan correctly.

 

I don't really have a plan, but I wanted to see what others are planning. I have about 50 game/PC systems with games.

[Rex Dart]

Hi,

 

Recently one of my coworkers died and it got me thinking...what should I do with my video game and classic PC collection after I die.

 

I imagine your only option is to rot on/among it, eventually becoming the grime that causes the contacts to fail.

 

Hopefully I'll have found something more constructive to do with my time, money, and effort by the time I go. And if I go sooner rather than later, I imagine it'll be given to goodwill or neighbor kids.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

I told my wife to give it to Goodwill, salvation army or whatever thrift store would take it. WHY? Even she was surprised since I complained in the past about about never finding anything at the Thrift stores around here in this small Canadian city, also as we know how the employees pick and chose etc.

 

But I thought of two things, first, I would Love to have some of the finds that people seem to discover in the US thrift stores, second, even if the store employees pick and chose any employee who would go out of his way to put aside my retro game collection most likely is knowledgeable and into it, if not he will likely put it for sale on Ebay where it will be bought but someone really into it, either way I think it is a simple and good solution.

[AtariLeaf]

When I'm on my deathbed, I guarantee I won't care about old video games.

[jaybird3rd]

I've been thinking about this myself lately, not because I have any intention of going anywhere, but because of the sad departures over the past year of several people who were involved in classic computing and gaming, and the Atari machines in particular.

 

I think the first thing I need to do is to organize and catalog everything in my inventory. I haven't done this in a while, and I really need to do it for my own sake, but it will also make it easier for my immediate family to figure out just what I have, if the need arises.

 

My niece and nephew (ages eight and six, respectively) have been around my collection their whole lives, and they like playing several of the old games, so I might leave some of my stuff with them. But most of it will probably be sold to other collectors. I plan to leave instructions to that effect: if anything should happen to me in the short term, my inventory will be listed for sale here on AtariAge, minus anything I choose to leave to someone specific. I figure that's the best way to keep it in collectors' hands, as opposed to being dumped on Goodwill or on eBay.

 

What happens long-term depends on a lot of things: whether AtariAge is still around, whether anything similar has taken its place, whether there is even a market for classic stuff anymore, etc.

[BDW]

A couple of years back (when I first joined AA), I installed a heart rate monitor in my chest. When my cold, unloving heart finally stops beating, the heart rate monitor will detonate about 16 pounds of plastic explosives that are placed under my floorboards. Hopefully, that will be enough to level my house and perhaps take out the loud and obnoxious neighbor kids.

[Itchy Koala]

I'll have to leave my Atari Age password lying around. Once I croak there's gonna be a mega sale thread with the classic end phrase: "we have no idea what it's worth, so make an offer."

 

 

 

My tip to you guys: lowball the sh't out of my greedy family.

[AtariLeaf]

A couple of years back (when I first joined AA), I installed a heart rate monitor in my chest. When my cold, unloving heart finally stops beating, the heart rate monitor will detonate about 16 pounds of plastic explosives that are placed under my floorboards. Hopefully, that will be enough to level my house and perhaps take out the loud and obnoxious neighbor kids.

 

Just make sure if you move, you take them with you. I cringe for the family who may be unwittingly living in your house 40 or 50 years from now when you suddenly croak.

[tz101]

I had not really pondered this question before, but had wondered recently if video games and systems are often seen at estate sales. That is most likely where mine will end up since none of the kids have much interest in ancient games and systems.

[Rex Dart]

I had not really pondered this question before, but had wondered recently if video games and systems are often seen at estate sales. That is most likely where mine will end up since none of the kids have much interest in ancient games and systems.

 

Yeah, when I was buying Atari lots off ebay, I'd see a bunch of "I dunno what this is or if it works because this is from an estate sale" listings.

[+wood_jl]

Yeah, it's all going to end up in an estate sale, with people thinking what a weird old coot that was to have all of this worthless CRAP around. It will all go cheap, then it'll eventually be resold to people like you guys, by someone who discovers the value. I'll be dead, so it won't matter.

 

I like the idea of cataloging everything, so whoever digs through my stuff will have some idea. However, I doubt they'll be interested, probably won't Ebay, and they'll just want to convert this TON OF CRAP into dollars quickly, so they can then go buy their own worthless crap. So I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for my beneficiaries, in that regard....ha ha ha.

[tz101]

I have to add: Mine will be one of the better condition estate sales. All my game cartridges, SMS and later, are taken apart completely and cleaned inside and out. All video rental stickers and "void" decals are completely removed, and the contact pins are polished and cleaned with alcohol. All fingerprints, strange spots of grime, and marks-a-lot names are completely gone. I am meticulous, but they are all clean and new when I am done. Same goes for SMS, Genesis, and Gamecube/Xbox/PS2 clamshells.

 

Finally, all my controllers are taken apart and cleaned inside and out. The person who goes to my estate sale will come upon some nice condition systems and games.

[+bennybingo]

I have a provision in my will that says, when I die, I should be buried with all my games in the Alamogordo dump!

[Cebus Capucinis]

I have a provision in my will that says, when I die, I should be buried with all my games in the Alamogordo dump!

 

I can do that for you.

 

Me personally? We will have an Atari 2600 lamp-light vigil for me! Then EVERYTHING gets thrown into a woodchipper for YouTube, and I will have Al pin the topic.

[coyo5050]

Donate it, if the local museum still wants it. They specialize in kids, toys and "play" stuff. Working on a loan situation. Figure it would be a great way to store/display it

Edited August 11, 2011 by coyo5050

[toptenmaterial]

I will give it to my nephew, who is always asking me about the history of video games.

[amiman99]

Donate it, if the local museum still wants it. They specialize in kids, toys and "play" stuff. Working on a loan situation. Figure it would be a great way to store/display it

This one looks good, maybe local Children's Museum

[+FujiSkunk]

I haven't yet thought about it too seriously, but I figure two things. One, I'll be dead, so I won't particularly care one way or the other at that point. Two, games are not meant to be buried, woodchipped, blown up, or anything else of the sort. As long as they can be, games are meant to be played, and in any case, the history behind those games should be preserved as much as possible. If my family (whatever family I have) at that point wants to keep them, great. Otherwise I'll see about finding someone else, person, museum, or whatever that wants them to have.

Edited August 11, 2011 by FujiSkunk

[HatefulGravey]

Oddly enough, it has been talked about in my house for some time. My collection is to be boxed up well and stored safely. When my next of kin finds someone really into retro gaming they are to give that person everything I have. The hope is that a young collector will be found and they will really be thankful for a sudden and free expansion of their collection. I really hope that someone will be a family member that will also have the knowledge I would have shared with them over the years to go with this collection, and with a little luck enough love for me by that time to really care for these games as pieces of history and something I owned in life.

 

Its all a little mushy, but I really hope it happens that way. Regardless, it wont be sold, it will be given away. I don't buy for the money of it all now, and I can't see where it will matter when I'm dead. I don't want someone making big money from these things, I want someone to enjoy them.

[tz101]

^

So what if no one in your family is into collecting vintage game stuff? Does it all go to Goodwill? Say it ain't so....

[Itchy Koala]

^

So what if no one in your family is into collecting vintage game stuff? Does it all go to Goodwill? Say it ain't so....

 

At least that gives me optimism about thrift hunting.

[Armonigann]

I know a person of interest who would take all my stuff and will store it forever in the same place all her old stuff is-

[AtariLeaf]

^

So what if no one in your family is into collecting vintage game stuff? Does it all go to Goodwill? Say it ain't so....

 

At least that gives me optimism about thrift hunting.

 

I'd like everyone's full name and city please. I'll start keeping tabs on the obituaries

[HatefulGravey]

^

So what if no one in your family is into collecting vintage game stuff? Does it all go to Goodwill? Say it ain't so....

 

Oh no. It will just set boxed up and well protected until someone that is actually interested comes along. There will surely be someone. I have a habbit of doing this so it will just continue. For exameple: I played Magic the Gathering for years and years and ended up with a LARGE collection. When the time came to get out of it I sold only a few very high end cards (mostly $500 plus cards) and gave the rest of my collection to a kid in the local comic store that always wanted to play more. He used to ask to borrow cards all the time, and I got to know him. He had no real means to buy cards like one would need to buy to compete. So, when I was done I gave them to him. I know he didn't sell them and the look on his face was worth every cent I gave away. Its pretty cool to know that I might have been the only bright spot in a month for that kid, but it was a very very bright spot for him. I see him from time to time and he is still very thankful, and this has been more then 5 years ago now.

 

I want my collection to do that for someone. If you really enjoy classic gaming and suddenly you have a 1000+ piece collection (at this point at least) fall into your lap that would certainly make a difference in the way you see things for a while.

 

I'd like everyone's full name and city please. I'll start keeping tabs on the obituaries

 

Funny you would say that. My wife has my information to log in to this web site and has been given a name or two to contact in the event of sudden death. If she needs help finding people to get this stuff to she knows where to get it. So don't bother checking obituaries in Georgia and making that trip, just keep an eye out for an out of character post offering up my collection. Not likely, but possible.

[nonner242]

I would love to spread my games to my friends here on AA.

 

But I think my girl might just sell them all on ebay or something.