"Looking for the Man who" Topic

first said "as long as you have figures left to paint, you can never die." If not him, I'll settle for any wargamer caught saying it.

I have just spent a full day sorting the miniatures of a dead friend, who I shall not embarrass by naming--and if you know, please don't mention the name. Mind you, I don't say labelling, inventorying or pricing. It took an entire day just to sort roughly 30,000-50,000 miniatures--none smaller than 20mm--into armies. I am not counting the pile of troops only partly painted or the troops not painted at all. Either one of those piles would make a very respectable wargame army.

Which is my point. I want to find one of those "you will never die" yoyos--ideally the original--and lock him in a small room with all that unpainted lead, some paints and a brush.

Guys, don't let this happen to you. Keep some sort of relationship between castings purchased and time available if you can, but in any event, have a will or an agreement with friends standing between your armies and the nearest dumpster. Sooner of later, the widow will want her house back.

I second Mr. Piepenbrink's motion of some sort of inventory for your successors. Have been through that 3 times already. Not so much as you seem to have to wade through with your friend, but still piles. Not a happy time, but the families appreciated it.

Thank you for supporting your friend.

I'm reviewing where I'm at.

Yes, well said. I wish there were a foundation or museum or something to which miniatures could be donated.

Agree with Robert. I'm on my second trip through a
decedent's inventory.

T'ain't no fun, McGee…

I would say that the advice goes to collectors/collections of any significance regardless of subject matter. After dealing with the mess that my dad left my brother and I, I decided that I was not going do the same thing to my children.

Robert, that was very kind of you. It sounds like you still have your work cut out for you.

Robert, my condolences on passing of your friend, that is hard enough. But you've certainly gone the extra mile by taking on the task of dealing with his lead pile.

Condolences – wise words indeed. I did a lot of sorting last year so while I have a bunch of lead to paint at least it is sorted lead!

This is why there are landfills. What I told my kids.

Russ Dunaway

Also let your loved ones know the value of your collection.

I have spoken to several widows and children who were sadly convinced their inheritance was worth a large sum of money, and that anyone who told them otherwise was trying to cheat them.

One of the reasons I'm culling the herd of unpainted minis & books that I've collected over 40+ years.

Part of my "When I'm Dead" file notes collectors' forums I belong to that might be helpful and dealers or specialist auctioneers who can help disperse my collections, particularly ones who I have worked with.

Some degree of organization is useful. I bought several lots of cloth insignia from the estate of a longtime miltaria collector, most of which he had jumbled in bags of 100+ items. The auctioneer didn't have the time or motivation to sort through (guy had approx. 60,000 items); they emptied the bag, took a picture, and moved on. Valuation is a subjective thing, but I paid about $1 USDK for roughly 750 patches and immediately sold three of them for $400. USD

I have given instructions that ALL of my lead is to be melted down and cast into a crypt for my remains.

That way I CAN take it with me!

I have been reducing my lead over the past few years. Fits and starts, of course, but net reductions. Just eliminated one whole period and down to one period in lead with others in 8mm plastic and miscellaneous. When I die, it will be the dumpster for what I leave behind, I am sure. I have tired of painting.

I said something like that back in the 80s at a convention, and I never had heard it before. I don't think.
"When you paint everything you own, you die." Beer was involved.
I'm not claiming it, but it could have been me.
If there's any royalties involved, I'll press my claim. But I fear I have no evidence.

My unpainted – aside from a significant MicroArmor pile – is very small. It would all fit in a standard file box.

My painted stuff – roughly 20,000 figures – is sorted, boxed, labeled and inventoried.

I have a letter in my papers on what to do with it all. Mostly sell or give away, just don't chuck it in the dumpster.

Worst case, give it to someone who'd make a part time job of auctioning it off.

Like I said., when I am gone all my shite goes to my kids --all of it, house, furniture, guns, etc, etc, etc.
What they do with it is their business. Call the guy that buys estates or houses or whatever.
I had my life, they have theirs and I am not going to try to control and direct from the grave --or in my case the ash heap.

Russ Dunaway

To me the unpainted pile represents a nebulous goal. Something to dream about and plan for. Painting and the occasional game is what keeps me sane, and allows me to decompress, (a vital necessity in my profession). Sort of like buying a lottery ticket; there's no way I'll win, but it gives me daydreams to get me through meetings and classes. I really should buy a lottery ticket some time. :-)

As for having too much stuff when I die? Defiantly a first world problem and not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Dn, when you leave an unholy mess for your friends & family to clean up, it tells them exactly what you thought of them.

Build huge armies if you want, but unless you really do want them all in a dumpster afterward, for the love of Wells maintain some sort of order. Take an evening to work out who gets what or at the very least stack and label them--unless your relaxing daydreams consist of fantasies of friends and family working for days or weeks because you couldn't be bothered to put things away neatly?

Three or four hours of bad road next Thursday to try to inventory the stuff I finally got sorted. If I can't get it done in one day, the make-up session will be the Thursday after that. Don't babble "first world problem" at me--and learn the difference between "definitely" and "defiantly."

My will has been settled for years -- my children will determine what is of value to them and what is not --no unholy mess at all. They will inherit a $350,000 USD home and list it with a real estate agent. A house full of valuable antiques that are of course already appraised for fire insurance reasons --simple auction or one time deal with a dealer for 50% discount. Impressive gun collection --they have been advised The "smalls" will go in that deal.
I suppose next I will be listing the value of my clothing and stacks of odd lumber in my work shed ???
My kids are pretty intelligent.

Robert, my apologies for the spelling error, it was late and I was tired. Secondly, this is an open forum for people to express their opinions, and I will continue to express mine. As for your statement; "Don't babble "first world problem""

If I leave my family with TOO MUCH STUFF, that is most certainly a first world problem.

As for the rest, if I die or killed killed on duty tomorrow I have plenty of friends to help my wife without any complaint, as I've helped the family of friends who have passed.

I keep watching those Ghost Hunter shows to see if that find any spirits painting toy soldiers 👻…

So far no joy …

but unless you really do want them all in a dumpster afterward, for the love of Wells maintain some sort of order.

What's wrong with them going in the dumpster?

Actually, my minis are highly unlikely to. At least most of them. But I have a lot of other crap that will. SOM is too tall and SWMBO/DOM are too short to want any of my clothes. Maybe a tshirt or two. None of them (or my extended family) plays a mandolin, though many could. Either chucked or donated to the music store.

The value most of my stuff has is that I am going to do something with it. You remove me from that equation and there isn't much value left for a lot of it.

I would like to buried with all of it like an Egyptian Pharaoh …

"I would like to buried with all of it like an Egyptian Pharaoh …"

Imagine what an archaeologist 1000 years from now would say when they dig you up!

😆 I'd hope to greet them ! 👻

"Imagine what an archaeologist 1000 years from now would say when they dig you up!"

"Look at this, he painted the facings and cuffs the wrong colors."
"Sad, really sad."
:-p

I can't take it with me, but I can take the memories of it with me… :-)