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Forums10
Topics39,496
Posts562,079
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Most Online9,918
Jul 28th, 2025
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651 |
Had an odd one two weeks ago. Friend called and asked me to help him evaluate some guns and reloading machines for his neighbors widow. Seems she had a "fair" evaluation by another person, his best friend and just wanted to make sure he was not setting prices too high. My prices were vastly different than the first prices. Then walked her through how to dispose of his stuff. I again bought nothing. An appraiser should never buy stuff he appraises and a novice can not buy all the stuff at his price no matter how bad he wants those great deals.
Told her best way was to put most of the items up for sale, at her late husbands gun club bulletin board. Wrote clear descriptions with prices, both asking and (absolute bottom dollar price if the items don't sell on her copy). Guns should go to a local shop on consignment. Gave her firm minimum prices for most things with several real world recent sales to support them. Seems the shop was happy to sell her late husbands guns, as a courtesy for no commission. They were friends and had done a lot of transactions over the years. That shop even looked at my prices and thought the estimated prices were fair but may even do better. That shop just went up in my esteem.
She called and said almost everything else, reloaders and such, has either been sold or has someone willing to buy it. Seem the deceased was a very well liked man and friends are trying to help her out, plus everything is in mint condition which makes selling it easier. She is getting fair value for his toys which I am happy about.
What I have a real problem is the late husbands "good friend" who put the following values on mint condition items. Spolar Gold with Hydraulic setup $1,100. PW 800+ $125.00, K-80 trap gun, upgraded wood and middle grade engraving. $3995.00. P-gun at 1974 prices. The list just goes on. I expect he was going to find some "buddy of his" to buy all that stuff at his prices. Name of buddy, most likely, to be himself.
So here is the point, it's not that I'm such a great or knowledgeable fellow helping out some defenseless widow. It is that after you are dead, you leave your wife at others greed, lack of scruples and you no more want them to screw her then, than now. Make a honest list of what toys you have and their true value. Hide it if you must and put a note inside your will where to find it. Tell her how to get rid of your things. She can't kill you for them, you're already dead. But think about you 15k gun getting bought by the fellow you despise at your club or your 4k, 3K reloader going for a cool grand to your friend. Or your new green tractor being given away for peanuts. Do it before it is too late.
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 3,538 Likes: 452
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 3,538 Likes: 452 |
Ky, Good on you and good story. Humans can be a greedy lot though. I got into Baluch carpets in Pakistan in the mid-1970's. About that time the Belgian trade commissioner committee suicide...he'd planed to retire to Beirut and the civil war supported by all kinds of outside powers erupted...the green line ran right over his Saint George's club. Well I liked and respected the man..but I sure did try to pry a couple of carpets from his cold fingers. I guess that's human nature. Lesson I guess is respect the past..but those gone are in a better place and don't care about material possessions anymore... So I'm sort of in the camp of giving everything away if it can be done before the inevitable.
Baluch are not Brahui, Brahui are Baluch
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,409 Likes: 4
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,409 Likes: 4 |
Had an odd one two weeks ago. Friend called and asked me to help him evaluate some guns and reloading machines for his neighbors widow. Seems she had a "fair" evaluation by another person, his best friend and just wanted to make sure he was not setting prices too high. My prices were vastly different than the first prices. Then walked her through how to dispose of his stuff. I again bought nothing. An appraiser should never buy stuff he appraises and a novice can not buy all the stuff at his price no matter how bad he wants those great deals.
Told her best way was to put most of the items up for sale, at her late husbands gun club bulletin board. Wrote clear descriptions with prices, both asking and (absolute bottom dollar price if the items don't sell on her copy). Guns should go to a local shop on consignment. Gave her firm minimum prices for most things with several real world recent sales to support them. Seems the shop was happy to sell her late husbands guns, as a courtesy for no commission. They were friends and had done a lot of transactions over the years. That shop even looked at my prices and thought the estimated prices were fair but may even do better. That shop just went up in my esteem.
She called and said almost everything else, reloaders and such, has either been sold or has someone willing to buy it. Seem the deceased was a very well liked man and friends are trying to help her out, plus everything is in mint condition which makes selling it easier. She is getting fair value for his toys which I am happy about.
What I have a real problem is the late husbands "good friend" who put the following values on mint condition items. Spolar Gold with Hydraulic setup $1,100. PW 800+ $125.00, K-80 trap gun, upgraded wood and middle grade engraving. $3995.00. P-gun at 1974 prices. The list just goes on. I expect he was going to find some "buddy of his" to buy all that stuff at his prices. Name of buddy, most likely, to be himself.
So here is the point, it's not that I'm such a great or knowledgeable fellow helping out some defenseless widow. It is that after you are dead, you leave your wife at others greed, lack of scruples and you no more want them to screw her then, than now. Make a honest list of what toys you have and their true value. Hide it if you must and put a note inside your will where to find it. Tell her how to get rid of your things. She can't kill you for them, you're already dead. But think about you 15k gun getting bought by the fellow you despise at your club or your 4k, 3K reloader going for a cool grand to your friend. Or your new green tractor being given away for peanuts. Do it before it is too late. As I said before the best way is to remove excess items while one is still alive saving poor widow a headache after ones death. You were nice to do deceased husbands deed for him. The gracious service you have provided should have been done by her husband.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,409 Likes: 4
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,409 Likes: 4 |
Ky, Good on you and good story. Humans can be a greedy lot though. I got into Baluch carpets in Pakistan in the mid-1970's. About that time the Belgian trade commissioner committee suicide...he'd planed to retire to Beirut and the civil war supported by all kinds of outside powers erupted...the green line ran right over his Saint George's club. Well I liked and respected the man..but I sure did try to pry a couple of carpets from his cold fingers. I guess that's human nature. Lesson I guess is respect the past..but those gone are in a better place and don't care about material possessions anymore... So I'm sort of in the camp of giving everything away if it can be done before the inevitable. Your autobiography would be a good read.
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 704 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 704 Likes: 1 |
Just giving the benefit of the doubt..........maybe the guy/friend of the deceased, just didn't know any better.........
But agree with the overall premise. Take care of business beforehand if you can so you don't leave loved ones with a lot of lose ends and headaches.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,405
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,405 |
The owner making a list with values only helps so much as many people think theor stuff is worth more than it actually is. And then a widow may be stuck on getting the money shown on the list. And if the values are unrealistic, things will not sell.
What really is best is for clear insteuctions to be left as to how things shoukd be disposed of. ie: through a dealer, gun shop, auction house or friend that the owner knows and trusts.
B.Dudley
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,245 Likes: 423
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,245 Likes: 423 |
We come into this world with empty pockets, and that's how we leave.
People make the mistake of imagining their toys are some kind of investment portfolio, when in reality,(as has been sadly hashed out here recently) they are not.
The post death rendering process is a sad and onerous task you bequeath to people you cared about. The juice isn't worth the squeeze.
Value the consummables and support stuff at 0 after you use it.
It is just burden to your family after you die. It's not a pot of gold.
People overly convinced of the opposite view just deny themselves the pleasure of playing with their toys.
Out there doing it best I can.
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 397 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 397 Likes: 12 |
Thumbs up!! KY Jon
Wife and I have our estate in a trust all my toys have a few strict rules on how they wil be divided up if I still have them around. Whoever gets my dogs has the pleasure of dogs and $$ for upkeep.
Last edited by 28 gauge shooter; 03/19/18 07:41 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651 |
Point is that if you think back you may have seen others taken advantage of like this lady was about to be taken of. I have seen business sold for a small fraction of their true value, because the widow had no clue what to do, how to run it or what the value was. I have seen classic cars "stolen" for used car prices.
The list goes on to include guns and boats and any other man toys. If you don't want to tell your wife how much you spend on your hobbies fine, then set up some fall back position so you stuff gets sold for a fair price. Even if you do tell her set it up so she can sell your stuff and get a decent price for it.
Heck if you are smart you will have her do the same thing for you. Do you have a clue how much she has spent on China, Silverware, Antique Furniture, rugs or the like? Most of us are not talking big bucks but there might be a few surprises.
I had an aunt who had hundred of thousands of dollars in rugs alone, in her house and in storage. She had three complete sets of antique Persian/Turkish/?, very rare, very antique rugs for her house in three different color schemes. Her rugs were worth more than her house looking over the Potomac River. She took money for land in DC she sold after WWII and bought farms on the Fairfax, Vienna and Fall Church side of DC, then with the rest went to Europe and bought Antique rugs when the world was broke and willing to sell a rug for a few beans. She was smart and figured out most of the "Art" for sale was stolen by the Germans and subject to being claimed later but a rug is a rug.
Few knew what wealth she walked across everyday and the first appraiser tried to low ball everything. But she left a few cryptic notes about what she had and others figured it out. Her five daughters were all well off until their end of life from the rugs alone. Just wish Mom was one of the five. Oh well I did get a small prayer rug worth a bit, but it seems defective, prayers not answered to date.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 14,014 Likes: 1817
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 14,014 Likes: 1817 |
Oh well I did get a small prayer rug worth a bit, but it seems defective, prayers not answered to date. That's because of who the Turks/Persians prayed to, Jon. He may be sleeping, and they should pray a little louder.  1 Kings 18:16-45 SRH
May God bless America and those who defend her.
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