Regarding Wolf's suggestion of having the club deal with it, that is, for the most part, a reasonable idea, although I'd make a point of making sure the "Club" knows about that. At the end of the day, any club is just a group of unpaid volunteers. Regular folks that have their own collections to manage.

A few years ago, we had a club member pass and the widow asked if we, the "Club", could manage the disposition of the member's collection. Well, the collection turned out to be huge (what is it about hobby guys and their collections?). After a lot of discussion, one of the club members volunteered to take on the disposition of the collection. It meant many trips to the widow's home, boxing up things, and then transporting them to the volunteer's home. Who then quickly realized he needed some help. So, some of the lesser items were donated to the club (prize kits and so forth), some stuff got sent to the Bob Canon auction, but most of it ended up on eBay, the sales and mailing managed by his son. The son took a commission, and the balance of the proceeds was given to the widow.

It was about as reasonable a disposition as one could expect under the circumstances. My point, though, being that the Club was caught somewhat unprepared to handle such a request. It eventually all worked out, but only after a lot of discussion and planning. We were fortunate to have a club member willing to take on the project, as most of us would have been shot at sunrise had we all of a sudden announced to our respective Supreme Commanders that we were bringing home someone's else collection, in addition to our own. If it's possible to make those plans and arrangements in advance with the Club, it's recommended.

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John
YORF #003
SAM #004

Right. What I meant by "letting the club deal with it" was just handing it over to them. For free. No long drawn out "auction house" style of managing "the collection."

The dumpster, or the local club.

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-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President

Or, find a dealer like Everdon Hobbies (on Facebook) who specializes in obtaining old kits and selling them. I suspect a lot of the kits he sells come from Estate Sales.

The family could arrange to ship the stuff to Everdon, with Everdon paying some "reasonable" price to them without ripping them off, but the family paying for the shipping to Everdon. Done in a manner to ensure neither party gets ripped off. Not impugning Everdon at all, but possible others with less scruples (Cough - J.I. - cough).

Or whatever vendor, or whatever individual person might make a nice side job doing this kind of task. Family makes money, and the middleman/person makes money.

It's the true estate sales where the sellers have no clue what the kits are worth, where a kit is solf for $8.50 but goes for well over a hundred on eBay (where the true value is set, no matter how much some mona and groan fo which kits for, its' the buyers setting the prices , for the auctions that sell)

It's the built models that are far more problematic. But that is where clubs might be able to take in those, if nothing else as FITI models, with no $ involved but "giving the models a good home" . Problem with that is those who have no clubs in the area, within hundreds of miles.

Back to built models: With the exception for some really noteworthy models, mostly scale models, that a "space fan" might pay a good bit for, and a few rocketeers would too. Some would not care if a Saturn-V was built by anyone else, and others like space fans want mostly display models, unable or not wanting to learn how to build a kit decently (which is one reason why Lego Saturn-V kits, which look Bizarro, outnumber plastic model Saturn-V kits).

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Contest flying, Sport flying, it's all good.....
NAR# 18723 NAR.org
GeorgesRockets.com
Georges'CancerGoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-geo...ay-fight-cancer

That is probably the best way to do it. I think if you spell it out in the will proper the executer is on the hook to the probate judge to prove that this happened. If, somehow, you get rid of your rockets before you pass, the executer now has the problem of proving that to the judge.

I'm in that "Don't wait till you die" stage. I'm old. I can not recover the rockets like I used to. I have to rely on other section members who are more than willing to accommodate. So, my unbuilt kits have been used as section launch door prizes. The level 1/2 kits are being used as spectator door prizes (people who have just happened upon the launch). You would be surprised by how many people return to fly their prize and join the Section. The others are used as participant door prizes (for flyers). I've got a lot of OOP kits from manufacturers new fliers have never heard of. It certainly opens up new designs to them. I'm flying a Fat Cat model rocket at the next launch. Don't think ANYONE there has ever heard of them.

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Don
NAR 53455
"Carpe Diem"

I have ZERO problem with J.I. !!!!!

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

Which Fat Cat bird are you launching? I always liked the lines of the FCR birds.

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Dean Fox
NAR #53946SR

---- "Wherever you go, there you are"

There was a guy who flew several of the Fat Cat rockets at one of the NARAMs I worked, I believe it was back in 2005. I think they were OOP even then. Pretty cool. I'm pretty sure I posted pics of several of them on the pad back then.

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

It would be nice if there was a place for OOP parts and materials to be collected, even if just donated.

https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/sho...76&postcount=28

That post, and the thread above and below it, suggests it's possible that we are currently in the sunset of a golden era with respect to cardboard tube rockets. A **** shame for never-to-be-made-again materials to go in the trash. Wonder how many Enerjet fin cans have ended up in landfills, and now they are no more. How much really nice balsa, etc.

Where there is a will, there's a way. The current Estes owners bought a whole black powder factory. Think they're just going to sit on their hands and do nothing about the tubes?

__________________
-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President