Hi Karl,
I had to face all of this stone sober, when I was sick.
Fact is, for most people, the people around you don't want anything to do with your hobby. Disposing of your crap is a painful burden. Coming right after a sad life event.
If it's a big former investment, then they get to revisit the fact that what they view as community resources were sunk into a pile of stuff they now have to get rid of.
There's an uprising of resentment.
And if they are mad at you for any myriad of reasons, expect them to dump it as fast as it can be put in a pile.
Psychologically, the height of the emotion is tied to the death, or impending possible death. It's not a rational time.
There's probably an optimized way to address this.
Something like, "Accept 50% of the purchase basis and be done with it." or, "Have a person look on GI or GB, and set value at 60% of closed auctions. Get them listed. Then, they get 25% of the proceeds for the dissolution, and estate gets 75%.
The unrealized returns can be equated to the fun the decedent had playing with them.
It's over, done, and the burden set down.
She'll probably buy carpet and drapes.
Guys trying to grasp at every penny even after death, do themselves and their loved ones no service.
