What will happen to your collection when you are gone?

What will happen to your collection when you are gone? And is this something you worry about?

I have to admit I do...

For me it's not just the lamps; I only have a relatively small collection of about ten wick lamps, not including some cheap Chinese ones I bought for the garden, and two pressure lamps. But more so my collection of telescopes and a rather nice Kew pattern mercury barometer...

I have three step children and three children of my own, none of who have ever shown the slightest interest in any of it, and much as I hate to say it just wouldn't take proper care of them

To be honest I find the thought of these things descending back into disrepair and never being used again rather sad. But what else can you do with them?

 

I often joke about this with my sons (2) but am quite certain that if John and I snuffed it tomorrow all my old junk (aka pressure and oil lamps) would be in the skip ASAP!

 

Ahhhh, no Jean leave my address in a prominent position, not the skip. Hopefully I wont have to think about this for a while, but the way I look at it, in life I'll enjoy what I have and when I'm gone, it's someone else's problem. Unless I get to a point in my old age when I think I've had my fun with my lamps, lets sell them and go on holiday.

 

Yes, Matthew, if we only knew the time and place eh? Could sell all the lamps a couple of weeks before and leave a nice little nest egg.

 

Its a good topic Gneiss, and I often think about it too. I lost both of my parents 4 years ago and the 3 leftovers, me and my 2 siblings, had to empty the home. They had collected all sorts of different thing through time and the vintage-schnaps was no problem, but when we came to the furnitures in mahogoni, none of us had the same interest. We almost hated these items while we always as kids had to take specially care of these sensitive furnitures. It ended that we choosed 1 subject each and sold the rest to a vendor.
I hope my walkabouts in the nature at night with my sons leaves a memory that might give them the surplus to take care of my many lamps - and they do fill a lot less than furnitures
I would hate to know my very small collection ends up by a "steampunk"-punk who electrocutes them all and sells them to artlovers who paints flowers on them and throw them out 1 year later to give place for a led-cow with wings
biased judgmental - no way

Claus C

 

I have chosen carefully who gets what and is in writing, after having three brushes with the other side, I do not take my stay over here for granted, it is good to know that my small " collection" will continue to work as advertised when I am not here any more.

 

Good subject, I think about it too. My wife would hire the dumpster the next day, which is a real incentive to eventually turn the collection into cash for the beneficiaries. I've taken my oldest son on a walk through and pointed out to him some of the valuable things that I have, and if they are to be sold after I'm gone, not to sell them at a yard sale for $1. All of my three children are campers, and I've given each of them stoves, lanterns, tents and sleeping bags, et. al. Unfortunately none of them have much interest in the older stoves. I'll have to work on the next generation, when they show up, and if I live long enough.

Paul

 

You can donate to a museum but that generally means the pile gets stuffed in a cellar never so see the light of day again. Saddens me to know that a very nice FL1 has gone that way. My Daughter is actually interested enough to tell me that maybe half a dozen will be retained. Now Krissie is a lady who can squeese a £1 till it cries for help and she is well aware of the value scattered about here so the pile will be sold off. Best way really because that way most will go to collectors and their preservation will be assured. So I say when you go make sure they are to be sold either to known collectors or in an auction well advertised to collectors or on line where they will be found and bid for by serious collectors. ::Neil::

 

Yes well said as you can never tell in life what's around the corner ' so planing ahead is good for all cherished and classic collections. sad though that both the old crafts are dying and no young ones want to fill the void '

 

Stuff that for a game of soldiers!

I think you mean, 'could sell them all a couple of years before and have some nice long cruises...'

Please pass on my contact details to Krissie next time you see her, will you, Neil? No, on second thoughts, do it tomorrow...

 

I recently purchased a 150 piece lantern collection from a good friend and fellow collector. He is aging and decided to get rid of his collection so his wife would not have to deal with it when he passes away. A good friend of his collected old outboard boat motors. At the gentleman's passing, his wife was left to get rid of tons (literally) of boat motors. As you can imagine, that was quite ordeal for a lady. My lantern collector buddy said he just could not do this to his wife.

He was not up selling individually. Donation to a museum was considered, but ultimetely we worked out a deal. I'll keep some, trade or sell the rest. Even the sold stuff will likely go to other collectors. So, his collection lives on.

Will

 

Yep have thought about this on several occasions. Could donate to a museum or sell them off. In the event of me popping off unexpectedly I have my collection cataloged and with estimated sale price so the missus knows how much they should go for. Given I buy, restore and on sell many lanterns to help pay for the hobby I'm not overly sentimental with them. But if you keep a catalog with estimated prices you soon know how valuable your collection is; hopefully more than you paid for it.
Hoping my two offspring might have one or two for memory sake and to use when they go camping.

 

I have considered cataloging mine and including clear concise operating instructions for everything, not just the lamps.

The mercury barometer for example is quite complex to use if you want accurate readings. Read correctly it's as accurate as the ones the Met Office use as well as being a thing of beauty, in fact it was standard equipment at all official weather stations. But it's little things like that - if I went tomorrow my wife and most other people simply wouldn't have a clue how to read it.

 

If I pop off tomorrow I'm sure the kids know what to do E Bay what they don't want etc ,they know whats the dearest stuff etc by now ,just to many collections etc .

 

Donate to a museum any piece, sell them when you are still alive and this way you can look for a new home to preserve them. Someone did something with this huge collection:Link

Post a picture, please!

 

There is that option but as you say most will get put in storage and as good as lost to the general public anyway. The other problem with this and I say this because it has happened quite recently very close to me, is that when the museum decide they don't want stuff they put it all in a massive auction and sell it off. Now with this auction I'm talking about it was vintage farming implements and related items some of which had been donated to the museum by people who were at the auction and I can tell you that they weren't pleased. If you donate to a museum then it's because you want the item or items to be treasured and there as reference for generations to come. When they sell it off, it ends up back in a collection which one day sees this very same problem of what to do with it and sooner or later it will get skipped. So I say make sure if your family don't want it they sell it for as much as they can get and they use the money to give them security in life and old age. Don't send it the way of a museum who end up spending it on something completely useless.

Rant over, that's just the way I think and I'm sure that not all museums are the same but it just puts a bad taste in your mouth when you see it happen.

 

That is why I don't favour the museum either. Mind you I can sometimes see their point. If you talk to them beforehand then maybe if they are interested donate, but to suddenly have some executor dump a few hundred lamps on a museum is rather unfair because they have no option but to accept and then what if they don't want the items? Store them or flog them off to help pay for stuff they do want? I remember talking with the curator of the Scout Museum in London some years back and he said more or less the same. In fact he would sell or trade some items if he had duplicates in much the same way as any collector but he had 7 bronze figures of Baden Powell that he could not show because they were identical but they had come covanented so he could not dispose of them. So they are just a storage and insurance burden. Worth serious cash as well. I know the Railway museum in York has received a few dozen Tilley lamps in the last few years including the FL1 I mentioned earlier. I would be interested to know if any of them are actually on display or if they are just stored and gathering dust. I know the guy who donated them and he is not a pressure lamp collector although he is aware of values but there was no chance of persuading him to do anything else. To be fair he has sold off duplicated stuff to collectors including myself but there were a few rare bits that ended up in York. ::Neil::

 

OK...

With hindsight I probably should have opened the cabinet to avoid reflections from the room.



I hope you like our cat...

 

I think the most important thing in this is to keep the lamps alive and as Neil say - dont hide them in the stock of a museum.
If you bring the lamps out when cosy times shows up then our children wont forget the lamps.
Just look at the Lampactiongallery and invite your children out to the situation of the lamp and they will never forget.
Tell the storys behind the lamps and they will remember. Let your kids light them up several times - also as a duty when you have to go find your cat in the garden at night or fx. to go snailhunt in the evening.
When they get friends for visit then let them drink hot chocolate on the porch in the lamp's glow and they wont forget.
They dont care about the value and why I want them to take care of these lamps.
No they will take care of the collection if they can connect good memories to the lamp or else when I catch the harp, they will just sell the stuff and share the money.

By the way Gneiss - that a awesome barometer you got there and I like the casing - is it oak?

Claus C

 

I don't actually know and if I did I've forgotten, I think it was just described as "polished hardwood"....

 

Looks like oak to me, going by the grain pattern. Steve.

 

I think it more looks like teak, or "that family" of trees.

 

With regard to your scopes, does your local school have a science club? Failing that, how about your local astronomy club/society? I think they would certainly be loved there!

 

There's not enough of a grain pattern on the left hand side to be oak. It's a red wood so I'd say mahogany and then the back board is ply. Nice looking piece, I can't say I've ever seen one like it. I not long ago picked up a really nice mercury wheel barometer, dating from around 1840-1850 so pretty old but in fantastic condition. It's lost some mercury over time though but that's not bad as no matter how much it rains outside the barometer is always reading fair to very dry.

 

On my mothers side of the family, she was a Casartelli and they were scientific instrument makers,including barometers, of which we have quite a few of now....

 

The back board is the same wood, it's just not been polished which would bring the grain out...

It's almost certainly worth looking into getting it refilled... These things can be quite valuable.

Paul - How about some pictures

 

OK, if not oak it could be Beech looking at that grain, but whatever it is certainly tree wood What a very nice piece to have Steve.

 

I am in the process (haven't got around to ringing) a chap with a clock and barometer shop. Hoping that he will be good enough to top up the mercury without telling me I need a full service which will cost more than I paid for it in the first place at auction.

Tree wood Steve? I don't know of any other types.

 

I don't care what wood it is! I "Wood" like it Steve.

 

It would probably still be worth doing....

What does cost an awful lot is if you want to have a calibration certificate done too.