|
|
Posted by David Sherman [72.47.9.228] on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 00:20:31 :
In Reply to: Re: OT but neat for WWII enthusiasts , HAY JASON. posted by The Dodge Boys [207.172.238.54] on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 21:24:47 :
I hear you and I wish everyone could do that, but more often than not I see the kids throw their parents' entire life into the dumpster because they have no interest in any of it, want to sell the house fast, and can't be bothered to even put it out in the front yard with a "FREE" sign on it, much less try to sell it or give it to a museum. Most of the time these days, the kids and the grandkids care about two things -- minimizing the amount of work they have to do, and maximizing the amount of cash they can get with no work.
One lady told me what a hassle it was for her and her sister to clean out all the sheds full of junk (truck parts) their father had accumulated. Took them days to throw it all out. They knew it wasn't worth anything 'cause the boxes said "Willys" on them and nobody has a "Willies" any more. Another guy had literally two to three TONS of petrified wood and agate in his basement and garage that he'd collected on his vacations. They had no kids and the wife's niece and nephew inherited everything. The nephew used the rocks to fill in a low spot in the driveway. In the most recent case, the old man had been a professional jazz pianist and close-up magician, extremely well regarded by his peers but not famous to the general public. All his music, reel-to-reel recordings, magic tricks, rare playing cards, historical magic books going back 50 years, beautiful poker sets, and even musical instruments including a Moog synthesizer got tossed in the trash. They filled up 3 dumpsters with his stuff by the time they'd "cleaned out" the house.
Even kids who mean well can't always keep stuff. Maybe they have to move a lot for work or don't have room and can't afford a storage unit. My point is that I'd much rather see something historical, especially when there's a personal story to go with it, get sold on ebay, or even put out on the sidewalk with a "FREE" sign if ebay is too much hassle, than get tossed in the trash like happens with 95% of "the old man's junk" these days.
Follow Ups: