When using the antiques, share their histories and stories. What makes them special? If they are family heirlooms, talk about the people who owned them. Supplement family stories with pictures of the previous owners. People like owning something ?special.? If they do not know why the antique is special, they will not know why they want it.
Second, ask your children and grandchildren to make certain your feelings are correct. When working with clients on estate planning or downsizing, I often am told the children and grandchildren do not want things. ?Did you ask?? I inquire. No is a more common answer than yes. While asking might not produce the desired answer, it can reveal what the children and grandchildren desire. Those clients who asked relished sharing their ?I never thought they would want that? stories.
Third, consider passing down some of the antiques as special occasion gifts?anniversary, birthday, and wedding. While this involves a risk, individuals become attached to objects received in this manner.
Fourth, family is larger than just children and grandchildren. Consider contacting brothers and sisters and/or nieces and nephews, especially if the antiques are family heirlooms. The collecting gene often skips generations and family lines.
Fifth, if the children and grandchildren do not want your antiques, create a dispersal plan. Although what follows is self-serving, I recommend you acquire a copy of Sell, Keep, or Toss?: How to Downsize a Home, Settle an Estate, and Appraise Personal Property (Random House: 2008), a book I wrote specifically for individuals in your position.
Since you have a houseful of antiques, schedule a ?walk-through? appraisal. Hire an independent appraiser (not an auctioneer or dealer) on a per hour basis to walk through your house from attic to basement, doing ?rough? appraisals as he/she goes. You can tape, record, or place Post-It notes as the walk through appraisal progresses. When finished, sit down with the appraiser and review dispersal options.
Most collectors or individuals with a houseful of antiques, especially those that came down through the family, are not up-to-date on current market trends and prices. They also have trouble differentiating between buy (retail) and sell (wholesale) values. There are individuals, some of which are independent appraisers, who specialize in collection dispersal. If you do not have the knowledge or expertise required to sell in today?s marketplace, hire someone who does.
Selecting only one method, for example a single auction, to disperse of your antiques is a mistake. We live in a national and global market. A quality dispersal plan involves a minimum of three sale venues. The more time and effort you are willing to spend, the greater the return will be.
Once you have made the decision on what and how to sell your antiques, remove yourself from the process. Do not attend any venue where your goods are being sold. It is no fun to watch.
Once you sell antiques, they are gone. If this thought is too painful, do not sell them. Die with them. There is nothing wrong with this. Dying surrounding by the things you love, which do not have to be breathing entities, is okay. There is no law that says you have to dispose of your antiques with a warm hand.
Source: http://blog.rubylane.com/Rinkers-Opinion-My-Heirs-Do-Not-Appreciate-My-Antiques-What-Do-I-Do
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