but the real value comes from the piece’s age, not the silver content.) Sterling and coin have resale value, even if dented or squashed, because they can be melted down. The book tells precisely how to figure the value of these items by converting them to troy ounces, so heirs won’t be swindled by dodgy silver/gold buyers. --shelves full of books. Generally speaking, paperback books seldom have monetary value, but hard covers can surprise, especially if they are first editions or have local interest, are in decent condition, and have original dust jackets. Leather-bound books have value, even if it is only the cosmetic sort. Interior decorators often buy these for their clients. Throw out (or recycle for paper content) obsolete textbooks, old encyclopedias, phone books, and Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Check with a local VA hospital to see if they’d like a donation of those paperback thrillers for our recuperating soldiers. Those stacks of National Geographics that are supposed to be so collectible? They have no monetary value, but a kindergarten teacher or art teacher might appreciate them for the color pictures that can be cut out for projects.
may be preferable to take weeks, even months, to research and consider each item and decide what it is, whether it has any value, who should have it, or how it should be sold, recycled, or disposed of responsibly, reality often interferes. With families scattered across the country—or across the globe— the difficulties mount. Maybe the surviving children live in other states and have only a couple days to go through Dad’s belongings and empty the house in preparation for its sale. Or Aunt Lena passed away in an assisted living apartment, and the management is gently urging her heirs to clear out her things so the next person on the waiting list can move in. For many, hiring an estate appraiser and auctioning off the bulk of the estate may be the best way to go. Stuff After Death deals with the issues facing heirs who choose this route. The Greatest Generation is fading fast, by some estimates, at a rate of 3,500 a day. Their heirs are
Not all old things are valuable. Contrary to popular belief, prices don’t automatically go up over time. They often go down (think Hummels). the Baby Boomers, the largest population bulge in American history, a group that moves through the decades like a meal through a boa constrictor. Within the next decade, the Boomers themselves will start to pass away in significant numbers and pass along their possessions. It is an endless cycle of taking and giving that none of us avoids.
--a glass bowl. Is it cut glass or pressed glass? Cut glass items can be valuable; pressed glass is its cheaper imitation. Feel the edges: cut glass edges are noticeably sharper than pressed glass, almost sharp enough to cut your finger. But a single chip reduces a piece’s value to practically nothing. Not everyone has the luxury of time to deal with a house full of Stuff in the optimum manner. While it 16
Funeral directors can help their clients through this difficult time by providing a resource that lets them take control and helps them decide whether to hire estate sale professionals for a quick and easy job or whether to handle all or part of the process themselves. Free information about identifying and disposing of the Stuff you’ve inherited is available on the blog, www.stuffafterdeath.wordpress.com. The book, Stuff After Death: How to Identify, Value and Dispose of Inherited Stuff, is available in e-book format for $4.99 at www.bn.com or www.amazon.com.
Winter 2013 | The Independent | www.ogr.org ®
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