unpleasant subject

[blade_420]

A few weeks ago Lew posted his entire balisong collection for sale. This got me thinking.
Someday, maybe not today or next week, and probably not by my hand, but eventually we will all (gasp!) DIE.
Where do all the great collections go?

A few years ago both my grandparents died, and almost all of their personal possesions went up for auction. I think that it netted $600.00. After the fact I started remembering things that my grandfather had. Antique toys, knives, etc. He had a really nice Keen Kutter switchblade that I have seen sell on bladeauction for $280.00. I have to belive that it was thrown into a box lot and probably sold for $10-15.00.

Someday I will die, and so will you. What happens to all the collectable knives?
My mother and unkles didn't want to bother themselves with such details. I have to believe that once I have kids, and despite me trying not to let them trash my collection,(like I did to some of my dads knives), either it won't hold the magic for them that they do for me, or for whatever reason, I fear that great collections are being lost into the void.

Not to single you out Dawkind, but I think that I remember you saying that you were in your late fourties-early fifties? You probably have the nicest collection of anyone, and it sure would be a shame to see your knives "lost".

this is an awkward subject, and I'm having trouble putting my concerns into words.

What happens when you will your collection to someone and they just don't give a carp about things like that, and take it down to the pawn shop in B.F.E. Nebraskansas?

Thank's for any input...

 

[Dawkind]

Thanks for the kind words but I don't think my 'stuff' would hold a candle to the likes of Gollnicks, S, Chefget, Chuck G., etc.... People have to be prepared for the inevitable! Like Gollnick does, everything needs to be cataloged with descriptions, values, pictures, and the 'lucky' person that all of it is going to needs to be aware of what the stuff is worth. It's called taking care of business! I know that in Kansas that if the deceased doesn't have a last will and testament, the state will gladly take over and hose the family out of every f*ckin' thing you've got in the estate!

Excuse my French but it galls me to no end when the government steps in to 'help out'........

 

[Gollnick]

As I've said before, there is no way to compare two collections. Mr. Dawkind has exhibited some very nice pieces. I'm sure he has a very impressive collection as do several of our members.

A few years ago, my family was faced with the task of sorting out my father's property. Fortunately, he and my mother lived in Washington state which is a community property state so there was no question about the estate. My mother received it all. But, just sorting through it all was quite a task. I vowed not to leave such a mess.

A will is essential for anyone who owns anything of value. If you don't have one, not only will the state so a poor job of administering your estate, but your relatives will have to go through a long, frustrating, time-consuming legal process. With a will, the whole thing can be very quick and very simple.

This is especially important if you use, as I do, bank deposit boxes since those boxes are sealed upon your death and nobody can go in until the whole situation gets sorted out.

A will does not have to be a complex list of every item you own. In fact, it can be a simple statement of "I leave all property and assets to X. If I am not survived by X, then to Y. If I am not survived by X or Y, then to Z. If I am not survived by X, Y, or Z, then to the ABC Foundation." In a typical case, X may be your spouse, Y may be your child, Z may be another relative, and ABC Foundation may be your favorite charity.

If you have deposit boxes, it's a good idea to specifically mention that. Even if you don't right now, have the lawyer write it in, "I leave all property and assets including contents of any and all bank deposit boxes to..."

To prepare such a very simple will, an attorney will charge you less than $100.

Next, it's a good idea to have a catalog of your collection. Each balisong that I consider part of my collection has been assigned a catalog number. Then, I print a tag that has the number and a very brief description, "### Bali-Song Cutlery Custom 5" Kris w/Ivory Inserts" for example, and then photograph the knife. Catalog photographs always include the knife, the tag, a 6" ruler for size, and a standard color card (you can get these at photographic supply stores). If the knife has collateral materials, sheath, box, papers, etc., then a second picture shows the knife, the collateral, and the tag. Finally, if there is any special feature to the knife, then additional photographs may be taken each including the tag.

Those photos go into an album in order by catalog number. There's also a written catalog with an extended description of each knife including where it was purchased, how much was paid for it, and what its approximate value is. Sometimes, if I see a knife similar to one I have trade for a good price, I'll make a copy of that, write in the margin that this knife is the same as my catalog #, and then file that.

When each knife is stored, the tag is included with it so whoever has to sort this all out can easily figure out which knife is which.

Finally, I have a written list of dealers and individuals who would be happy to help out with the disposition of these knives when necessary.

I've also made a list of other items I have that are of unusual nature or value. For example, sitting up on the shelf over there is what looks like some sort of old circuit module. It is, in fact, a core memory module removed from the space shuttle. It's actually flown in space. That's got some extra value. So, to avoid having it simply thrown away as some old circuit module, I've recorded what it is.

Doing this initially was quite a task. But, now that it's all set up, keeping it updated is fairly simple.

The detailed catalog can become a problem if it's not kept up to date. It's especially important that if you sell or trade a piece from your collection that you note that in the catalog and remove the pictures from the album so that whoever takes over won't be accused of stealing the item.


------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

 

[JohnR7]

>>I fear that great collections are being lost into the void.

No, not at all. The really expensive collections are sold at auction. They bring top dollar. Usually they get split up and put into other collections. In the very least a family will take a collection out to a gun show, it will be broken up and go into other peoples collections.

Knife collecting is usually a life time hobby. The reason is that it is just human nature to lose interest in a item that is no longer new. That is why people collect items and try to keep them in new condition. The older it is, and the more mint it's condition, the more value it has.

But there is a second thing at work, and that is all our lives we are trying to get rid of stuff. Usually, we use a sorting process of getting rid of the things that are useless and keeping the things that are useful. A knife is perhaps the most useful of all items, and that is why a knife collector can go on for a lifetime. But when you have something totally useless, like a beanie baby, usually people lose interest in their collection in a year or two, three at the very most.

>>I fear that great collections are being lost into the void.

Nothing gets "lost into the void". On any morning out at the flea market, there are at least 5 or 6 dealers looking for knives with at least $400 or $500 in their pocket. They are looking for something they can get a deal on and resell at a high priced knife show to the people who have more money than time. There are lots of people searching for collectable knives out there. Because there are buyers for them. I know one guy who has between 5000 & 6000 knives in his collection. I have sold him a few myself. They are all good solid work knives. Some he bought for less than $20 somewhere along the way and they now have a value of $800 or more.

 

[JohnR7]

>>Someday I will die, and so will you.

I do not plan to die, I plan to be transformed and given a eternal body at something that in slang is called the rapture.

About 20 years ago, I was working on remodeling a resturant. We had it all gutted out and were starting to put it all back together again. The owner came in and he was talking about how he wanted it done by Thanksgiving, because he had a free meal for poor people on that day. He also made a comment about how he would have to have it all done over again in about 12 years.

I actually was surprised by his comment and asked him what he was talking about. I thought my work would last 50, 60 or even 100 years. That was the way I was raised and taught, for your work to last that long. But he said the average restureant interior lasts about 12 years and then they have to remodel or renovate it and redo it all.

That really got me thinking about things. I thought about Egypt, and how they built things that lasted thousands of years, but still, it was not forever and eventually, everything man makes turns into dust. In fact our bodes turn back into dust also.

That was what got me looking and searching for things that were eternal. I have been on this quest now for 20 years and I am really only getting started. With man made knowledge there is a limit to it. For example, my brother is director of psychology at our local childrends hospital. He was complaining about there not being anything else to know or learn about his profession, he had studied it and learned it all. That was when I got him interested in learning about eternal things, because no matter how much you learn and no matter how much you know, your only just getting started, and there is so much more to learn, and know and benifit from.

I know why some people only make it to the age of 70 and I can tell you which people are going to make it past 80. What I am trying to figure out now, is why some people make it past the age of 90 even up to 100.

But long life is one thing, and living for eternity is another. Only 1/3 of the people who have every lived will find eternal life. There are people who have trouble getting themselves into a 85% group, how much more difficult it it going to be to get into a 33 1/3 % group.

The funny thing is, it's not really all that difficult. God is looking for us, to give us eternal life. Those who find eternal life are the ones who do not harden their heart against God. They come to realize that God only wants what is best for us, and they decide that they are willing to yield themselves to doing good and being good.

It's one of those things you can not work for it, you can not earn it. Only you can accept it and receive it want it comes your way. But those who turn down Gods offer, will continue in there destructive course and perish in there sin. Thanks, JohnR7

 

[JohnR7]

>>To prepare such a very simple will, an attorney will charge you less than $100.

You can get a simple will cheap, if there is not a lot of money involved. We have it set up in our family that whatever remains is split up evenly among whoever your current living wife is and all living children.

There is also a trust fund and those cost about $5000 to set up. The advantage is that no one can ever sue you to get a hold of the money. Even if a legal eagle found a way, then the money would stop and no one would get it. Also, it is distributed at a rate of $10,000 per year, per person, which is tax free money. That way you do not have to worry about anyone going out and wasting it away and not having anything left to pass onto the next generation. Thanks, JohnR7

 

[blade_420]

Thank's for the sermon JohnR7, but I think that in my case, it's a lost cause. I am agnostic with slight paganistic tendencies. I believe in scientific method, finding actual predictable repeatable answers to questions. So far I haven't found many, so I keep questioning. I never stop questioning. so, in that way, I have no "faith". I practice no religion, however I have studied many. I have taken comparative religions, old testament, and world history (with a VERY strong emphasis on Christianity, to the point I thought that the class should be called "the rise of the Christian Empire") in college. I did very well with these classes. Usually the "devil's advocate" in discussions. I have done extensive study in magick and ritual on my own. I have read and studied most of what Aliester Crowley has written (self proclaimed antichrist) ad.188?-1943. I have read much on Buddahism, Taoism, Kabballah, Muslim, Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse and American Indian mythos. I have taken perspectives from all of these to choose directions in my life, but do not adhere to any single one. I have also read many books on chaos theory, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and systems theory. These with the basics of physics are much more real to me. I have a bachelors degree in both psycology and geology (so I can council pet rocks).

I am now a full time tile setter, so I can relate to the remodeling subject. I set all my tile so it will out live me and my grandkids. I have also ripped out work that others have put in that they thought would last forever. The fact is that from (star) dust we have come and back to dust we shall all return. Any quest for "the eternal" is futile. We are only here for a while, and then we aren't. I am half convinced that there are patterns and maybe even energys that have been around since the beginning of time (big bang?), but that humans are simply too simple to comprehend most of them.

I started this thread to see how people are dealing with the inevitable, and you have given me your perspective. I thank you for that. But when the rapture comes, and (as the Bible says) your ACTUAL body rises up to heaven, do you hope you'll have a balisong in your pocket?

 

[Dragon1]

Well, if we didn't, it wouldn't be heaven, would it?

 

[Gollnick]

Topic, gentleman. Stay on-topic please.

Regardless of your personal faith, there are practical issues that surround the end of this life (and I would ask any Christian who might think that those issues don't apply to him to reread Matt. 24:36). These issues are especially important for collectors and even more so for collectors of something esoteric like balisong knives.

I don't want to leave my family with a situation that is any more painful, confusing, or difficult than it needs to be. So, I try to keep things in neat order.

------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 02-24-2001).]

 

[JohnR7]

>>do you hope you'll have a balisong in your pocket?

According to the popular rapture theorys as I understand them, all of our balisongs well be "left behind". Maybe someone well gather them all up and sell them off real cheap out at the flea market. But those who want to purchase them will need to take on the mark of the beast to buy, sell or trade

>>I believe in scientific method, finding actual predictable repeatable answers to questions.

If you have studied quantum mechanics then you will know that "predictable repeatable answers" are there, but right now it's to complicated for anyone to figure out. We are making progress though.

>>I am agnostic with slight paganistic tendencies.

If you want to go to another forum to continue a discusson about paganism, heathenism, christianity and all the other various belief system, I will be glad to go.

>>from (star) dust we have come and back to dust we shall all return.

Well, some balisongs are turning back into "star dust" faster than others. Esp. the old world knives are usually made from a high carbon steel that is very high maintance compared to the newer high tech materials that hold up quite a bit better.

We have already had quite a few discussions on how to maintain our collection so they do not rust or tarnish. Thanks, JohnR7 www.BalisongKnife.com

 

[blade_420]

Yeah, youre right.

 

[Darth Detori]

I'm being buried with mine- no chillin' of mine aint' touchin' my collection

actually I dont know what I'll do with them as it's kind of a ways away from now. I might go funeral pyre style for showiness

and I've been designing this sword for a while now that I'll eventually have custom made; this sword will be passed down from generation to generation

 

[Harvie]

>>actually I dont know what I'll do with them as it's kind of a ways away from now.

You don't know that. I'm 20, and I'm already thinking about life insurence. I'll get some as soon as I get a better job. I lost a friend not to long ago. He was only 2 months older than me when he passed away. He is in a better place now, laughing at all of us I'm sure. You never know when you will go. Tomarrow in not promised to us, so live life to the fullest. Have fun and make a difference for the better.

"Humans are the only living things on Earth that know that they are going to die from the moment they are born."

Sad but true.

 

[Sabo]

They all go to my Step-Son Mason! And quite honestly...I think he will be better than I at manipulating them.

he must have had a pretty good instructor! ?

------------------

Sabo 29
"Catch you on the flip side"!