Collections. Upsizing or Downsizing ?

[Blackrider]

Started a trawl through the "armoury" this afternoon to see if I should unload a couple. Unfortunately the Boss said I had to dismantle Christmas so I couldn't complete the task !

[Mole trapper]

Because of the knock on effects of a health issue I had , I have a rather ocd attitude, this manifested itself early last year in selling all of my not insubstantial collection of modern high end pcp,s, these I had bought over the last six months, the money bought me a brand new custom transit van
My collection of Springer's on the other hand thankfully never get affected by my swings, only increasing in size. Luckily my interest is limited to late seventies to early nineties otherwise I would be in serious trouble

[johnbaz]

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to move a large portion of my collection on so it's not left for the wife to fathom out what to do with it at some time but starting with the lower quality ones first then moving up to the better stuff!

Yesterday I agreed to buy a Gecado mod35, I was at a friends, He tried phoning the owner with an offer on my behalf, Right after I left to pick the wife up my friend texted me to say that my offer had been accepted, Trouble was that I didn't have time to turn around and collect it!!

The chap is also doing work on my Superten (Muzzle velocity up and down and a reblack of the barrel) so i'll collect and pay for the Gecko when I go back for my S10

When the weather warms up, That's when i'm going through the gunroom, Trouble is that I hate selling my stuff



John

[Hsing-ee]

Arrgh I have got three new-to-me ones on their way, two of them 'I won't see one of those for another six years' model but its only a year or so since I decided I was done with collecting, that it was complete.

I suppose the only consolation is that re-selling them doesn't mean a huge financial loss, unlike buying cars or motorcycles or hi fi or nearly anything else...

Now I am thinking of tracking down a BSA SuperStar and maybe a Diana G80.... It's always springer rifles though, I have one PCP, one CO2 rifle and one CO2 pistol and never see the need to give them company.

[archie]

I am arriving at the conclusion that the rifles I do not use on a regular basis should be moved on. So I started with my Diana 280 which is in the sales section now. I have another 2 rifles, AA Tx200 and a Hw30s which will probably go up for sale soon. That would leave me with about 9 which do get taken out quite often.

[mel h]

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to move a large portion of my collection on so it's not left for the wife to fathom out what to do with it at some time but starting with the lower quality ones first then moving up to the better stuff!

Yesterday I agreed to buy a Gecado mod35, I was at a friends, He tried phoning the owner with an offer on my behalf, Right after I left to pick the wife up my friend texted me to say that my offer had been accepted, Trouble was that I didn't have time to turn around and collect it!!

The chap is also doing work on my Superten (Muzzle velocity up and down and a reblack of the barrel) so i'll collect and pay for the Gecko when I go back for my S10

When the weather warms up, That's when i'm going through the gunroom, Trouble is that I hate selling my stuff



John

Sounds like you need a table at the next 'Melbourne' John.
Mel.

[Rapid7Nick]

Been keep meaning to downsize for a few years, but as usual it's always upsizing. My last count up was 25 rifles and I'm sure there's a couple more lesser know cheapys tucked away somewhere.

[johnbaz]

Sounds like you need a table at the next 'Melbourne' John.
Mel.

Hi Mel, I had thought about it but all the tables seem to go in a flash now before anyone knows!!


John

[mel h]

Hi Mel, I had thought about it but all the tables seem to go in a flash now before anyone knows!!


John

Hi there John, just keep an eye on here, it's usually announced a few weeks in advance.
On another subject. I just looked at your photo link, the first pic is a couple of lathes the smaller one looks like a Super Adept, is the other one a Wizard? they were made by a firm up here in the N.E.

[johnbaz]

Hi there John, just keep an eye on here, it's usually announced a few weeks in advance.
On another subject. I just looked at your photo link, the first pic is a couple of lathes the smaller one looks like a Super Adept, is the other one a Wizard? they were made by a firm up here in the N.E.

Hi Mel

I just bought the Super Adept, The other is a Flexispeed 7, It was made around a mile from where I live!, It's a bit larger than the Adept


John

[walnutfarmmick]

[QUOTE=johnbaz;7408798]I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to move a large portion of my collection on so it's not left for the wife to fathom out what to do with it at some time but starting with the lower quality ones first then moving up to the better stuff!

That's a particular concern as you get older. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer I cleared all bar one out, thinking it was one less burden for walnutfarmMarg. then I found I'd been misdiagnosed and replaced the lot, plus, plus, plus, always looking for a better example and moving the previous best at MM or similar. But it's still there, in the back or my mind, that statistically she should outlive me by a good 15 years. All at once the tagline 'Don't let my wife sell my guns for what she thinks I paid for them' is reality. It's not fair to dump a load of allsorts on her ( 1951 A70 pickup, !953 Bedford fire engine, the motorbikes, the spares, the 70+ magnetos etc, etc) but I'm loth to part with it all just yet. It'd be handy to know how long I've got left. I've already outlived all Mum's family by 3 years (68, the lot of them) whereas if I can make it to Dad's 86 I'll have had 3 years profit on what I paid into my personal pension. Living just to outsmart the Pru!

Only 2 weeks ago I was in a mate's yard when a mutual friend arrived, wanting to buy some 56lb weights. Tommy had 28 at home but declined to sell them because he 'liked looking at them!' I had to ask him if he realised how sad that sounded but I knew exactly what he meant. Another mate, a widower, collected car mascots and badges . He'd had cancer twice and knew he was on borrowed time but just carried on collecting, presumably thinking somebody else would clear it all up when he'd gone. That seemed very selfish but he'd only got 3 nephews that he detested. One of them got £1000 from him and tore it up.

Happy families, eh?

ATB,Mick

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

I keep telling myself that enough is enough, but always see something that takes my fancy, so my collection is always expanding. Recent events though have forced reality to kick in and I can see the need to pack it in and start to wind things down. I shall just let odd bits go to people I know. I shan't advertise anything. I shall miss the collecting thing, but there you go.

[gingernut]

I meet many older collectors who worry about “ after I’m gone”
It seems a shame to cloud your hobby with this issue.

After your gone is a very hard time for loved ones and there are many issues to be dealt with more pressing and annoying than an airgun collection.

Nobody can leave a perfectly easy tidy Estate to be dealt with.

If you have been a good Husband ,Father ,hopefully Grandfather and even a Great Grandfather the least your Family can do is not whinge about your guns, and dispose of them how they please when you aren’t there to care.


This applies to Lady Collectors too.

[cinedux]

collectors,as eager as I was,will somehow,by fair means or foul,come by my guns. And for 'their' blink of an eyelid in time,treasure them! Least that is how I sleep at night.

[SRV1]

[QUOTE=walnutfarmmick;7440521]

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to move a large portion of my collection on so it's not left for the wife to fathom out what to do with it at some time but starting with the lower quality ones first then moving up to the better stuff!

That's a particular concern as you get older. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer I cleared all bar one out, thinking it was one less burden for walnutfarmMarg. then I found I'd been misdiagnosed and replaced the lot, plus, plus, plus, always looking for a better example and moving the previous best at MM or similar. But it's still there, in the back or my mind, that statistically she should outlive me by a good 15 years. All at once the tagline 'Don't let my wife sell my guns for what she thinks I paid for them' is reality. It's not fair to dump a load of allsorts on her ( 1951 A70 pickup, !953 Bedford fire engine, the motorbikes, the spares, the 70+ magnetos etc, etc) but I'm loth to part with it all just yet. It'd be handy to know how long I've got left. I've already outlived all Mum's family by 3 years (68, the lot of them) whereas if I can make it to Dad's 86 I'll have had 3 years profit on what I paid into my personal pension. Living just to outsmart the Pru!

Only 2 weeks ago I was in a mate's yard when a mutual friend arrived, wanting to buy some 56lb weights. Tommy had 28 at home but declined to sell them because he 'liked looking at them!' I had to ask him if he realised how sad that sounded but I knew exactly what he meant. Another mate, a widower, collected car mascots and badges . He'd had cancer twice and knew he was on borrowed time but just carried on collecting, presumably thinking somebody else would clear it all up when he'd gone. That seemed very selfish but he'd only got 3 nephews that he detested. One of them got £1000 from him and tore it up.

Happy families, eh?

ATB,Mick

Hey up Mick, may you be well and continue to enjoy for a long time...

I am in the same position, age and illnesses creeping up and timing what to do with my collections of air rifles, Dinky Toys, vintage and classic motorcycles with numerous valuable excellent condition spares, many rare. Do I sell up now and splash out on a world cruise and put up with passengers fighting and diarrhoea from food poisoning? Or, just buy one desirable classic sports car and have a grand tour? My mind must be playing tricks too, as have sadly created Excel sheets of all my items and current values. Maybe it will help my survivors in future, will they take notice, or hire a skip and just dump the lot? Maybe I should just sell now and have done with it and spend, spend, spend...I am sure as hell don't want to spend over £1000 a week to be sedated, slapped around a bit, incontinent in a corner watching dire FreeView channels with the sound turned off in a home......Timing is what it is all about, as the actress said to the bishop.....

All the best.