Passing Down A Family Album

I have been collecting Stamps off and on for about 40 years. This collection was built from my father's and grandfather's collections that I have added to and up-graded. This collection has tremendous emotional meaning to me and I very much want to make sure that it stays within the family. I have 2 older sons but I'm not sure they will continue building the collection and It would be upsetting for it to be sold. To me it's a family heirloom that I would like to see passed down from generation to generation. Any suggestions are welcomed as to what to do.

Thanks

Best of luck on this one Crypto Dave. Selling anyone younger than a baby boomer on Stamp collecting is like trying to sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman with white gloves. Talk to the sons and find out true heartedly what they would do with the collection. if they choose sell, then I might look to sell it myself to a collector where I knew it would be appreciated. Hope all goes well and you find a way to keep it in the family.

Put the entire collection in a box and seal it air tight with other items that will stand the test of time, like photo albums. Then mark on it "Do Not Open Until 7/4/2076". If it does remain closed until then it'll be your adult grandchildren who get to open it. You are creating a time capsule.

Art

Apologies for sliding off topic, but this bequest thing reminded me of a terrific sequel to H.G. Wells' 'Time Machine'. It was a short story in which the time traveller's great great grand nephew received a bequest from his aunt. It was the time traveller's logbook which set out what eventually became of him. Total knockout. And I can't remember the title or author. Anyone?

Terry

The Time Machine II by famed special effects giant George Pal.

Thanks Hungary, I didn't know of that one. But the short story sequel I remembered reading I now know was by Richard Cowper, I'll do a deep-dig on line tonight.

Terry

Hi CryptoDave,

Welcome to the group. Tricky thing specifying what your heirs do with a bequest. I have come across two examples of things I would have thought the deceased's families would have treasured. Both things were sold. Personally, if I find my heirs will not be interested in my stamps, which I think is likely, then I will leave them to someone who is. The family can have everything else.

Terry

Hi CryptoDave - your post makes me realize how lucky I am. I introduced both my son and daughter to collecting and it stuck with my daughter. At 21 it's not on the top of her priorities, but we do get to spend some time together collecting from time to time. I've also let her know where to find the value in the collection should she ever want to sell it in the future.

I would recommend looking outside the family as an alternative. I've inherited 2 collections from family friends in the past. In both cases there were no stamp collectors in the family. In addition, I believe both families were shocked how little the collections were worth. The material I received remains a valued part of my collection to this day.

Paul

Apologies for going off topic again with this update. The time traveller short story sequel to H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" is "The Hertford Manuscript" by Richard Cowper and appears first in "Science Fantasy and Fiction magazine" for October 1976, and later in Donald Wolheim's "Worlds Best SF 1977". It is also included in Richard Cowper's collection "Out Where the Big Ships Go" published by Pocket Books 1980. For anyone interested in Wells and his time traveller, this is a great read.

And back on topic.......

The two bequests I mentioned above but didn't identify were an engraved watch presented by a Russian general to the British soldier who had saved his life, and the original "This Is Your Life" big red book of a famous actor and war hero who had been honoured on the show of that name.
Both sold by beneficiaries. There is no telling what your progeny will do with the things you value.

Terry
Edited for typo. TC.