Leaving the hobby

[Great War truck]

I responded to an advert a while back with a guy selling off all his stuff. The Jeep and spares etc had already gone but I went to see what other bits and pieces he had left. He was getting on a bit and had decided to sell up while he was still able. His house had little sad piles of stuff scattered around which I went through and bought some choice pieces although it all felt rather sad.

 

My question is though, how do you anticipate leaving the hobby? In my case ideally in a wooden box feet first through the front door, but I don't want to leave a burden for the kids - which will actually be five military vehicles each and a loft crammed floor to ceiling with stuff. I can see most of it being dumped as they have no idea what it is. My wife has told me to label everything with what it is and value. Then once completed sit back and eat the mushroom stew she will have prepared for me. I have not labelled everything yet so she has not collected the mushrooms, so I am around for a bit longer yet.

 

I once watched a guy leave his angling hobby. It seemed to be quite straightforward. he threw all of his equipment, rods, nets, umbrella, folding chair and box of tackle into a lake while screaming at the top of his voice and jumping up and down. Problem solved quite quickly, but I don't think the authorities would be very happy if I drove 8 trucks a Land Rover and a Jeep into a river.

So, how do you plan to exit this fine hobby of ours? Any last things you feel you should undertake before you peg out (and I don't just mean leaving a trophy in the HMVF clubhouse and settling up the tab)? Recreating "half safe" or driving a Jeep across the Himalayas, or through Brixton. Any ideas on a good way to bow out?

[Minesweeper]

Tim - you are worrying me! Dad

[ruxy]

The Norse had their ship burials , I had in mind one of my lesser loved Land Rover Lightweights , or possibly a minta I don't feel like bequeathing to one of my sons - bit undecided still on the grave goods ,,

[fv1609]

At one time I had made provision in my will for my technical book collection to go to a large organisation related to our hobby. As I found great difficulty accessing any books that they already held, it seemed that my bequest would rather wasted, so I decided to change my will.

 

What I need to do is pencil on the covers the current market value with the date so that when the collection in parts is sold to book dealers a fairish price is offered. Books bought 30 years ago for 30p might now be worth £30. It's just I know the first thing a book dealer does when considering a purchase is to see what I paid for it. What I paid for it & when should surely have no bearing on today's value!

[Jack]

Tim - you are worrying me! Dad

 

Me too! I was really worried when I saw the title of the thread. Blood pressure is back to normal now :blush:

[gritineye]

Interesting question Tim, got me thinking about it now...

 

I once saw the relatives of a deceased Vintage car collector clearing his stuff into a skip, I immediately put them right as to the error of their ways, they wouldn't listen!!!

 

When I asked if I could have some things I could see in a skip I was told 'No...we've spent three days filling three skips, and you're not taking anything out again!'

 

Same thing when I bought a lathe, all tooling and accessories (worth as much or more than the lathe) dumped!

 

I have a fantasy of spending a season visiting every show I can with Forceful and trailer, leave home for the first one, go from one to the next, and not come home till after the last. Sometimes try to work out how many I could do, I could visit two or even three on some weekends.....:-D

 

Not likely too happen though, for obvious domestic reasons....:nono::kissoncheek:

[Hoseman]

Simelar thing happened to a mate of mine.

He collected old bikes and classic cars. he asked me to restore a BMW 3.0, early Batmobile type, for him while he was ill. Sent me a cheque every month to cover work and to pay for all parts. Stripped the car and started rebuild with all new parts as bought from BMW. Full bare metal respray etc,

Then he died and I stopped to see what his ex missus wanted to do with the car. Was told to leave it and not do a thing. I offered to buy it off her at current market price and finish the work for myself. She refused and had the scrap man take the lot to be crushed ONLY, not to be sold on etc!!!

I made sure I put all the old stuff in the MINT shell and kept all new parts for myself! Car was crushed as is....!!!!

Fooking mental some people!!!!

His bikes and Austin 12/4 heavy were never seen again either!!!!

[mcspool]

Labeling and/or pricing your collection is one thing.

 

Convincing your relatives they will need to invest the time to find a good home and/or recoup the money is another.

 

Of course they love you, but likely they have no interest in your collection or maybe even they hate it. In the former case they will have a hard time motivating themselves to donate or sell your collection, in the latter case they will make sure it will be destroyed (as proved by the story above).

 

If your loved ones share the same interest, you don't have to do anything. If they don't, do not burden them and sell/donate your collection before you kick the bucket or pay someone to do so after. Make arrangements and put it in your will.

[Tony B]

For a lot of reasons I have a thing about Herses. I have actually put in my will a codcil, not to be put in a hearse but either a Dodge or LWB Land Rover. When an old friend, probably well known to many when I tell the story, was buried a few years back his coffin was taken on the back of his old RL, escorted by a Land Rover and my WC51. Although a sad affair, the day did have it's smiles with the running joke, odd to see him on it rather than under it! Fortunatley I have a son to dump my junk on.

[Rick W]

8 trucks Tim? The only reason for me to leave the hobby is to sell the green thing to pay for the sprogs education, although it wouldn't mean leaving the hobby just not having the vehicle. I've been lucky in the fact that I started off with a knackered land rover ambulance and sold that and bought another vehicle, doing this several times over. So fortunately my better half sees them as an investment in her point of view. We are getting hitched next year so she has given over to the fact that there will be an mv taking us from the registry office to the shindig! Good result. If I do kark it I've told her that the jeep at the moment, should be for the kids benefit.

[N.O.S.]

Leave? LEAVE? I'ts taken me 24 years to arrive!

[Rick W]

Leave? LEAVE? I'ts taken me 24 years to arrive!

 

:-D:-D:-D

Someone in the clubhouse bar mentioned that you were the last hound out of the traps...

[private mw]

as you all know i drive a skip lorry and its very sad what people throw away when someones died .

[Willyslancs]

just sorting a relatives house at the mo(not past away , just lost marbles and in home) not a nice thing to do ........

[RattlesnakeBob]

as you all know i drive a skip lorry and its very sad what people throw away when someones died .

 

 

I can well believe you mate...

I bought a very collectible motorcycle off a skip wagon driver that he'd found in one of his loads.....and a good mate only a couple of days ago purchased (from the same astute driver) a complete , undamaged and very valuable Victorian drawing room Cast Iron fireplace

.......yer right mate....some folk throw away a lot of moneys worth .........thankfully ! hahahah !

[private mw]

yes very sad mate but as the saying goes. you come onto this earth with nothing and leave with nothing !

[Zero-Five-Two]

Having spent a good percentage of this year,so far, sorting out my late Fathers estate, I can say that the more instructions you put in your will, the more difficult it is for your executors to sort it all out.

 

My theory is, when my time comes "they" can do what "they" like. I'll be dead so it wont matter to me.

 

However, I do have this notion that for grave goods, I would like to take a beaker with me, just in case there is an afterlife and I get to meet the ancient beaker people from times gone past, then at least I can have a brew with them.

[Big ray]

If I cant take it with me.......... I`m not going, and thats final.

[N.O.S.]

... just in case there is an afterlife and I get to meet the ancient beaker people from times gone past, then at least I can have a brew with them.

 

You don't by any chance mean the PYREX PEOPLE? The guys who came over from Europe between the Bronze and Iron Ages, who brought with them pots which would withstand the direct heat of a fire?

[N.O.S.]

No, I didn't think so.

[woa2]

I know what you mean about sorting out a relative's house. My Mother died 2 years ago today, and we had the job of clearing her house ready to sell it. My Mother had inherited the house from her Mother and my Grandfather had bought the house new about 100 years ago. Therefore we had loads of stuff to go through, and a lot of items went to charity shops as we didn't have the space to store them. It took over a year of work to empty the house, and we still had to leave some furniture there. We must have made mistakes giving some stuff away, but what could we do? We did have to check everything carefully as I found a silver cigarette case given by my Grandmother to my Grandfather as a Wedding anniversary present in 1936 in a bag full of used envelopes.

[ferret1958uk]

My father has around 50 years of collecting stuff to sort through should he die. No idea what a lot of it is and there are a vast number of projects around in storage. My biggest headache will be sorting out storage costs whilst it is all gone through. I really hope he lives for longer than I do!

[John Comber]

Interesting how a thread gets you thinking!! I reckon if you have an interested next generation in a hobby today that's fantastic as they get a real kickstart up the ladder, as most vehicle related hobby's are only getting dearer. But if that's not the case and your concerned at your collection of whatever being at risk of being thrown out surely there would be enjoyment of passing this on as a gift to an interested party who would never be able afford it.

i can only drive one of my vehicles at a time , and these days get as big a buzz out of seeing someone I trust jumping in and taking the wheel as I do myself, hence my comment.

luckily for me the next generation share my passion for all things wheeled and tracked, it's the neighbours I'm worried for:drive:

[79x100]

One of my teenage daughters is already asking if she can have the motorcycles when I stop riding. The trouble is, I suspect that she's expecting a lifetime free maintenance contract.

 

It is the peripherals that are likely to be discarded but I can think of no way at present that I could cough to what I've paid for some of those musty old booklets and spark plugs in original boxes...let alone the toolkit items.

[ferret1958uk]

Everyone can leave the lot to me. I will not bin it!