What Stamp Collection Dispersal Instructions For Our Families Do We Have

I am constantly amused with this forums "I have inherited my dads collection please help" and the corresponding reply's which are based on some random scans and overly technical opinions.
My point is I just gave my non collecting partner a book of stamps, perforation gauge, watermark detector and several web stamp identifying addresses and said with all of these tools you can find a gem in this lot worth $$$$ she took one look at me and said what the hell are you talking about and went back to her wine.
How does any non collector decipher all of this information and then have any hope of identifying any stamps that have been handed to them "2 albums from Dad! 5 or 20 albums from great gran" no hope.

On way to alleviate this is as a collector is to to have a plan for when you leave this earth or can no longer manage your affairs.

What do forum members have in place for the family regarding the dispersal of their collection?
Is it in a will?
Is there a clear note with a preferred auction house to contact?
Contact details of a stamp friend/club who can assist with the dispersal?
Is your collection itemized? (Price paid)

Something we need to all think about

I put this together a while back to help with this situation
http://www.stampsmarter.com/learnin...osition.html
Don

For me it has nothing to do with $$$$.
I plan on leaving two albums. One with my 1851-60 3 cent collection, which will have copious notes and historical perspectives. The other will be a book of covers, featuring Graf Zeppelin material. I also have three books that will be left also.
None of which is a Scott catalog!

These things aren't important for monetary reasons, but for the love, passion and personality of their Grandfather (me) that'll be captured in within them.

If they have interest, they can add to them. If they don't...they'll take up very little space on his or hers bookshelf, to be passed on to the next generation.

That's my plan.

I was planning on a "Sorry, I spent your inheritance, babe" note ...

51 STUDEBAKER-------Nice idea it will help a lot of families understand what the stamp collector has and what they can expect when finally selling the collection .
If I can ask you one favorite ,please update your records before you leave for the 4th July vacation , you know I hate climbing out your windows of your house with a lot of cheap worthless albums and stock books. It would save me a lot of back breaking work if you just value everything ,then I can just take the better stuff.

On a more serious side ------Someone needs to write a booklet on how to sell a stamp collection and how to deal with all the scams and B.S. that comes your way when your selling a collection .
FLOORTRADER STAMP COMPANY ,works all the cons and we end up with the lowest pay out in the industry. Our buyers are good . It all starts way before we enter your house ,half the important work is done on the phone . We first filter out the hobby and Kilo buyers ,then filter out those not ready to sell but are shopping around for a price/value ,these people we help them out by referring them to other firms .
We always claim we knew the decease collector and where buddies at club meetings or seen them at shows ,so we are always ready to help out .
There is another 100 things we do ,to end up with the decease collectors holdings but that would mean a few chapters of writings .

Floortrader,
It is not like a person is putting out the curbside trash with a big screen tv box. Obviously if a person has already broken into your house and spotted your stamp collection then you already have a big problem. Having a slip of paper in the album is not going to change that. (And following this logic then no one ought to be penciling in any values on any album pages.)

Frankly once they see that an album has a listed catlog value of $1000 and the estimated cash value is $100 perhaps they will simply pass on hauling the heavy boxes and move on to your more liquid and lighter belongings. LOL
Don

I have note book (3-ring binder) called "Okay, I'm Gone. Where Is the Money" in which I list every asset, bill, income, debt, etc. with account info, addresses, passwords, etc.. I update it every few months with more recent statements, password changes, etc..

One sections deals with my stamp collection. It sort of summarizes what I have, were the bits and pieces are located, and a very rough idea of what's valuable. My notes says if no one in the family wants the collections (both my daughters were stamp collectors in their youth), I list 3 dealers for them to contact which I have faith will give them honest advice on disposition.

My original plan was to take the collection with me, but my wife says I have already spent enough time on the collection.

hi; Better too sell it all while living.Then with the money just buy
"""1'''' very expensive and rare stamp and hang it on the wall!
This way one could say the fruit of lifelong collecting!

"someone needs to write a booklet on how to sell a stamp collection..........."

For those living in the USA, and one may need to be a member, the American Philatelic Society has an Estate Advisory Service. I believe it is free as it would be done by a vetted, local, member volunteer. The APS can supply free cards to members, for placement in albums, where an owner can list other names & phone numbers of persons who might assist in handling of an estate.

I'll add that use of the APS Service; and I have the cards inside the front and back covers of most of my albums; does not relieve the need for one to plan accordingly. It's easy for me since my immediate family consists of a few first cousins, none of whom live closer to me than 800 miles. Almost all of my estate would go to selected charities, with disposition of philatelic materials covered in my estate documents. I avoid local stamp clubs as beneficiaries since few have the numbers of people, or expertise, to deal with often complicated foreign material. Rather, an entity like the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library could be one beneficiary of a philatelic estate; the Library is one of mine.

Most of the time it's no value accumulations, this is why their dad or grandfather don't give them instructions.

It is the same for a Commodity trader as with a stamp dealer .It is one or two deals per year that you make your profit for the year . That weekly buying and selling really just helps cover the expenses .
I would like to see the two different expressions on the face of the stamp dealer who hears this "I have inherited my dads collection he got his stamps from friends and purchased stuff off ebay its all in shoeboxes " and the "I have inherited my dads collection and it valued more than the house he lived in "