When You Are Gone...

[JAM_NYC]

My best comics will be used to decoupage my coffin. My drek will be rolled up and stuffed in all my orifices to scare away necrophiliacs.

[shadroch]

Never expected so many responses.

Yes to some this is a Morbid thread and nobody wants to think/talk about it but as you get older you think about it more and more(I am sure the older folks here will agree)and need to prepare for the inevitable for the people you Love.

 

As I said I am a man of modest means and do not have a wealth in savings or material possessions.

I have never been motivated in life by money.

In 6 years and 2 month's I plan on collecting Full Social Security Benefits.

(Do Not want to debate on weather SS will still be there in 2021)

 

I have lived in the same apartment since my marriage ended in 1986 and never made enough money as an Automotive Service Tech to start a 401K or put money away for retirement.

After leaving a Jeep Dealership that lost its franchise in 2010(I was there 15 years) I spent 1 1/2 years on unemployment and then I took a job with Autozone for $6000.00 a year less because my body could no longer take the punishment of the grunt work/lifting and constant bending of repairing automobiles(had back surgery in 2007).

I make enough to get by and I am happy with that.

 

Basically as far as anything of monetary value all I have is my comic collection.

Nothing in the collection is "extremely" valuable by itself(a few are a couple of hundred $ each) as most books are lower grade but the total value going by Overstreet is probably around $25,000-$30,000.

 

My Son no longer collects(his books are actually stored at my place) but when he did he helped complete the "Super Hero" runs so he will be left all of the Super Hero titles while my Daughter will be left all of the Pre-Hero Atlas/Marvel Horror and Western Books and Misc titles.

 

I doubt I will get rid of the collection myself since I still enjoy collecting and filling my runs.

Since the Super Hero runs are complete the books I am now looking for are the books that will be left to my Daughter so it is an investment in her future of sorts.

I am hoping when the time comes she does not "need" the money so she will not be in a hurry to liquidate.

 

If I did not continue buying/adding books I would probably spend the money on something else rather than putting it away for the future, human nature to spend what you have.

If I did put it away and some sort of emergency came up the money would then be gone anyway.

At least in the form of a comic book it cannot be spent readily on something foolish.

 

I am hoping that the Life Insurance I have will cover all Funeral Costs and any Outstanding Debt which right now I have none.

 

 

 

 

There is nothing morbid about this, but its sad. Do you realize that even at age 60 you could buy a life insurance policy that would be a real investment in your daughters future rather than giving her books she has no interest in?

$3 a day can get you a $250,000 policy.

[oakman29]

Never expected so many responses.

Yes to some this is a Morbid thread and nobody wants to think/talk about it but as you get older you think about it more and more(I am sure the older folks here will agree)and need to prepare for the inevitable for the people you Love.

 

As I said I am a man of modest means and do not have a wealth in savings or material possessions.

I have never been motivated in life by money.

In 6 years and 2 month's I plan on collecting Full Social Security Benefits.

(Do Not want to debate on weather SS will still be there in 2021)

 

I have lived in the same apartment since my marriage ended in 1986 and never made enough money as an Automotive Service Tech to start a 401K or put money away for retirement.

After leaving a Jeep Dealership that lost its franchise in 2010(I was there 15 years) I spent 1 1/2 years on unemployment and then I took a job with Autozone for $6000.00 a year less because my body could no longer take the punishment of the grunt work/lifting and constant bending of repairing automobiles(had back surgery in 2007).

I make enough to get by and I am happy with that.

 

Basically as far as anything of monetary value all I have is my comic collection.

Nothing in the collection is "extremely" valuable by itself(a few are a couple of hundred $ each) as most books are lower grade but the total value going by Overstreet is probably around $25,000-$30,000.

 

My Son no longer collects(his books are actually stored at my place) but when he did he helped complete the "Super Hero" runs so he will be left all of the Super Hero titles while my Daughter will be left all of the Pre-Hero Atlas/Marvel Horror and Western Books and Misc titles.

 

I doubt I will get rid of the collection myself since I still enjoy collecting and filling my runs.

Since the Super Hero runs are complete the books I am now looking for are the books that will be left to my Daughter so it is an investment in her future of sorts.

I am hoping when the time comes she does not "need" the money so she will not be in a hurry to liquidate.

 

If I did not continue buying/adding books I would probably spend the money on something else rather than putting it away for the future, human nature to spend what you have.

If I did put it away and some sort of emergency came up the money would then be gone anyway.

At least in the form of a comic book it cannot be spent readily on something foolish.

 

I am hoping that the Life Insurance I have will cover all Funeral Costs and any Outstanding Debt which right now I have none.

 

 

 

 

There is nothing morbid about this, but its sad. Do you realize that even at age 60 you could buy a life insurance policy that would be a real investment in your daughters future rather than giving her books she has no interest in?

$3 a day can get you a $250,000 policy.

 

I was thinking the same.

[wombat]

If you already know how you are going to split up the books why not sell your daughter's share now where you can maximize the value? It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to leave them to her and have her get killed trying to sell them in bulk when she doesn't know what she is doing.

 

For that matter have the same discussion with your son.

[bighairjer]

I have a wife and daughter who have absolutely no interest in my collection. The thing I worry about my collection would be dumped for pennies on the dollar. I'm leaving instructions for my wife on how to dispose of my collection. Whether she follows any of the instructions is a different matter. But she is a shrewd and astute woman and knows it can make a difference of thousands of dollars.

 

I think about this too...

 

I often wonder if I would be better served to just convert into a few 'more liquid' books, i.e. do the heavy lifting myself? Grinding on eBay is tough work for me & I am the collector! I would hate to put the task on my wife.

 

I've listed various options for her. Obviously, it's much less work if she sells the entire collection as a whole instead of piecemeal. However, it still makes a big difference by at least shopping around with reputable dealers. Just don't sell it to the first offer without checking a few others. I honestly don't expect her to sell the comics individually to maximize the prices realized. Before I go, I hope to sell a fair portion of my collection. Might as well enjoy some of the fruits of my labor.

 

Just let me know when you are ready to sell! Hope all is well.

 

[jsilverjanet]

 

Just let me know when you are ready to sell! Hope all is well.

 

I heard you're leaving me all your X-Force 1s and Youngbloods when you hit the old age home, is that true?

[lizards2]

I'm going to occupy myself in retirement by slowing selling off my collection. Hopefully I can retire early.

I'm planning to retire early (one year, eight months) and supplement my income by slowly liquidating my collection. My heirs have no interest in my accumulation.

[Senormac]

Where do you foresee your books/collectibles going after you are gone???

I have 2 children (Son 39, Daughter 36) who I know will fight over the collection after I am gone.

As I got older it is something I thought about and did something about.

I created a will and broke down the collection by Titles and Numbers so it is specific who gets what.

Tried to keep it as equal as possible value wise.

I am a man of modest means so it is basically all I have to leave them of any real value.

My Son has collected with me and has gone to small shows and cons with me over the years(over 20) so he will want to keep his share.

My daughter on the other hand is going to want to sell, she even asked me...

"Will you be angry if I sell your comic books".

It still bothers me to this day that they may fight over the books or my Daughter will be looking for a quick buck and get taken for a ride just to sell quickly.

I already mentioned to my Son to look out for her.

 

perhaps your daughter will sell them to your son

[porcupine48]

Sorry to say the thread was morbid...i just have lost a lot of people in the last twelve months, guess im sensitive to talk about death.I just want everyone to be healthy and happy and to sit around reading comics together.

OP.....your last post was great. :foryou:k

[shadroch]

What's said and pathetic is when a person dies and the rest of his family has no clue what to do next. Everybody dies. To not prepare for such an event is an injustice to those left behind.

[porcupine48]

What's said and pathetic is when a person dies and the rest of his family has no clue what to do next. Everybody dies. To not prepare for such an event is an injustice to those left behind.

That is why ive left notes,on paper and in messages online for my darling to come here.Im counting on you guys to help where I may have left any info,ect out.What ive seen over the years has made me very confident that people will do things right by her/me/the collection.

Not laying responsibility... Just if something unexpected happens,before ive everything crossed and dotted.

[shadroch]

Just a heads up. Depending on what state you live in, handwritten wills may or may not be valid. If a will is invalid, state law may over ride your written wish list.

As an example, my Aunts will left 5 percent of her estate to a certain charity. Because it was not a set amount, but a percentage, the Attorney General gets involved to be certain the estate is valued properly. We may or may not need a forensic accounting which could run well into five figures. If she had simply stated $75,000 rather than a percentage, it would have saved the estate money and time.

[oakman29]

Just a heads up. Depending on what state you live in, handwritten wills may or may not be valid. If a will is invalid, state law may over ride your written wish list.

As an example, my Aunts will left 5 percent of her estate to a certain charity. Because it was not a set amount, but a percentage, the Attorney General gets involved to be certain the estate is valued properly. We may or may not need a forensic accounting which could run well into five figures. If she had simply stated $75,000 rather than a percentage, it would have saved the estate money and time.

That's why you marry a woman who is a probate paralegal and the mother in law who's a probate attorney.

Get yourselves a living trust people. (thumbs u

[porcupine48]

Thanks.I am in Canada,but i'll surely look into it.

As these are personal items,and would be in her possession,would there be any issues,unless,gosh forbid,someone made a fuss of some sort?As I said,im trying to get things set in case of a tragedy,and have no plans on having the whole lot around when the time comes in the ,I hope,far future.

[jhutton2]

Interesting thread and a good read. Keeping some detailed instructions and having at least some discussion with your heirs ahead of time is important, particularly if the collection has reasonable value or represents a significant portion of the estate.

 

A lot of people talk about liquidating or downsizing their collections as they get older(myself included). Having worked in hospital emergencies for a good portion of my career, I can tell you that life does not always go as planned, its good advice to at least prepare some guidance ahead of that time as life can sometimes throw some very unexpected curve balls, and families have a lot on their plate and disposal of collectable items/collections often get lost in the shuffle.

 

I don't want that additional burden on my family when that time comes (hopefully not for a long time)

[marvelmaniac]

Three Things...

1)I did not open this thread to ask if I was doing the right thing leaving the books to my heirs because that is my plan regardless, I still enjoy collecting and I plan on collecting until that final day whenever that may be.

I could live to be 110 and I will still be telling stories of how the cover of F.F.25 got me "hooked" on Marvel Comics.

Not that I mind the opinions of others but it was more to see what everybody else was planning on doing with their collection as time goes on and we all reach that moment when we realize that we are not "Immortal".

I see lot's of high grade CGC books here so I was just curious, it is not human nature to sell for a profit and then put the money away for the future, it is human nature especially if you are young to say/think...

"I made a profit so now what useless material possession (my words) can I buy now" or use the money for some sort of emergency at the time weather it is medical or house/car related or to pay off debt.

 

 

2)$3.00 a day does not sound like much but that is $1095.00 a year and I cannot afford that.

As I stated earlier I make just enough to get by.

 

Also and I could be wrong but I do not think that at age 60 life insurance would be that inexpensive

(250,000.00 for $1000.00 a year).

The least expensive I have been able to find costs me almost $300.00 a year for $20,000.00 in coverage and that ends at age 65.

I also have $20,000.00 for free through work.

 

If you can find an insurance company that will supply more life insurance for the same price or slightly higher I will certainly look into it.

 

3)My Will was written on a legal site following all pertinent laws and requirements for the State of N.J.

I also wrote a Living Will and Power Of Attorney.

All parties(Son, Daughter, Sister) were given individually sealed copies with instructions not to open until the time has come for it to be opened.

I also have copies at home and they are also scanned and saved to my computer and a flashdrive.

Everything has been Notarized as pursuant to N.J. law.

[marvelmaniac]

Just added myself to more mailing lists to prove a point on Life Insurance Rates for Older Folks.

Impossible to get $250,000.00 for $3.00 a day if you are 55-65 years of age.

 

I currently pay $275.40 per year ($23.00 per month) for $20,000 in coverage.

 

Here are two quotes I just received.

ALL are much higher than I am paying now and more than I can afford.

 

1)AARP/New York Life

Must be an AARP Member so add the AARP dues to the Monthly Payment.

$75,000,00 for $91.60 per month, $1099.20 per year

$50,000.00 for $74.58 per month, $894.96 per year

$25,000.00 for $39.29 per month, $473.88 per year

All of these rates increase by 49% in two weeks when I turn 60.

 

2)Globe Life

$100,000.00 for 159.95 per month, $1919.40 per year

$50,000.00 for $82.16 per month, $985.92 per year

$20,000.00 for 35.49 per month, $425.88 per year

With this company amounts over $50,000.00 are not available for people over 60 years old.

[Firespitter]

I have a loose-leaf notebook with instructions to follow once I have passed.

It lists all of the items that are of any worth in my collections, with photographs and description of how to get rid of it, what it's retail value is and what to realistically expect for it in cash.

 

The book is sealed and away from view because I can't let my girlfriend find it until after I pass.

 

It's not because I don't trust her. I just realize that it will lead to the inevitable questions of why she's eating cups of ramen for lunch while I have comic books and other collectibles that could buy entire meals at Morton's.

And I don't want to have to answer those questions.....

At least not until I'm dead.

-T

 

[eewwnuk]

all of my 90's drek will either go to craigslist or a garage sale

 

my comic art will hopefully go to an auction house - comiclink or the dreaded ebay

[Phicks]

An excellent piece of advice I read recently was that if your children have no particular interest in your hobby, and will simply sell whatever your collectibles may be, then you are better off to sell them during your retirement years. You understand what they are worth, and the best way to sell them. Your kids will have no idea how to dispose of your collection, or whether they are being ripped off, so just do it yourself.