My kids aren't all that interested in any of my stuff. They may keep a couple items as a keepsake? I told them to call the auction company when I pass. Sell it off and buy something they really enjoy. I don't want to obligate them to hold onto some possession that doesn't bring them any joy. How many people have been burdened with grandma's china cabinet?

Five years after I croak, half of my machines will be in nice pinball collections, the other half will be in garage collections or storage.

Just a reminder for all you punks that scramble to buy my games once I am gone... I rubbed my junk on the lock down bars.

Viking funeral.
My body will be incinerated on top of a pyre made up of all my games.

Just a small problem. No biggie.

LTG : )

I could see my boy laying full claim to the STTNG. He’s 20 and just rediscovered the magic. As for any others... I’ll probably do my family a solid and sell them before I kick the bucket, or take em to the old folks home with me for others to enjoy and work on. Unless I jump straight to a gosh forsaken skilled nursing facility... then it’s napkins and drool time.

My kids already have me dead and gone. The fuckers already put dibs on who gets what: guitars; pinball machines; tools. Little bastard grandkids can't be too far behind, either. I had a son-in-law that wanted my LOTR when I die. Actually told me that to my face. The next week, I decided the LOTR needed to get gone, so I sold it. A month after that, my daughter decided the son-in-law needed to be gone as well. That's karma, bitch.

When I die, I hope I have a bottle of kerosene in one hand and some matches in the other. This is one ship that's going down with its captain.

*

I double-posted, so instead, above is my picture of an asshole. Thanks, Kurt Vonnegut!

Wait! What? My Wife says my machines are going with me to Hell when I die!
My clergy agreed!

Damn....I was all set for playing full time.

I keep a list of all my toys with prices (stereo equipment, pins, guitars etc) so if I go, it’ll be much easier for my wife or whoever to sell them. I also let her know which of our friends have some knowledge about these things and would help her not get ripped off. I also have a list of all of our accounts and life insurance policies. My dad died suddenly with everything in disarray and it was a nightmare helping my mom unwind everything and tie up all loose ends. Not gonna let that happen to my family.

I’ll gladly help get your pins “ready for sale” upon your death.

Did you grab it?

I’m not sure, obvious answer is to split the collection between my pinball-loving sons, but...

My dad passed 10 years ago, leaving my brother and I a couple of classic cars among a few other nice things. Owning/working on/driving old cars was always something we both aspired to do, but bereavement had other plans for us and we could barely bring ourselves to even start the cars for a good 2-3 years, let alone think about driving or actually enjoying them.

So I guess the question is a little more vexing than it initially appears! (Then again, current events, generally lowered expectations, and the recent anniversary (5/29) of dad’s death all contribute to a somewhat wistful, brooding state of mind which clouds questions such as this.)

Now, those machines will be a little bit harder to sell...
Probably degraded the pricing a little too.
But, that is what sanitizing wipes are for.
Plus, I got lots of hand sanitizer.

And I also give her a list of people to NOT ask for help. Guess which list you’re on Jay.

Ask her if she would prefer to have you buried in a Genie cabinet. That way you can spend the afterlife with another woman.

Too early to say.

Ask me again in 100 years.

I am going to use my Twilight Zone as my coffin and sit with head in backbox and legs stretched out under the playfield, may have to remove back box boards and stripped playfield but I will be in the Zone.

Who cares?

At least I won't have to deal with them.

It won't matter once you or I or anyone else is dead.

I discovered a while ago that it’s a lot harder to sell stuff then it is to acquire stuff. Eventually I plan to slowly sell it all off.

Interesting topic...

I just asked my wife what she'd do with my pins if I died. She replied, without even taking a breath, "I'd sell them." I asked her how she'd know she's getting a fair value, and she had a great answer: "I'd login to Pinside and ask them. You always say they're a helpful bunch, so I'm sure they'd help me out."

Way ahead of you, Joe. I have given my wife and kids a list of my games and their value. At the bottom of the list are 3 of my best friends and their phone numbers. I've also talked to them about which of my friends are assholes and which are not.

Some of you guys have this all figured out. Not so here. No kids, family far away
and chances are they'd haul them to the dump.
Steve

Everyone doing this must assume they're gonna die soon. I mean, imagine selling your games today for 2005 prices!

Might I suggest, donate them to the Pinball Outreach Project in your will? They place pins in children's hospitals.

Mine will be donated to youth rec centers in towns throughout NJ.

NOTE TO SELF: Open rec center ASAP.

I sense much debate between my children and my wife in regards to who is keeping which ones. The arcades will probably go on the front lawn with a free sign.

Asked my wife last night and she said she'd sell them all and buy a condo in Hawaii. I told her that I need to do some serious hobby expansion if she plans and leveraging it for that. When asked why she wouldn't keep them (or even 1) she said; I don't play them, I don't know how to fix them when they break, and I'm not paying someone else to do it for me.

My son wont care about them unless I find away to attach a keyboard and mouse..
Wife will probably think its easier to just sell the house and let the buyer decide.

Nah. It's something everyone should do at some point in their lives, along with dealing with a will or trust. Once my wife and I retired, we finally took the time to iron out details in ours.

Honestly, the list with prices was for my kids. If they wanted to divide things up, they had an idea of value. That way, one didn't get more than the other.

The list of buddies can give current market prices if they wanted to sell any of them.

My 8 year old twin girls are into them big time right now. They even show interest in how things work and how I fix stuff. We'll see if that continues. Since they're mostly coaster pins maybe I'll donate them to the coaster museum if the girls don't want them.

Don't care. Will be dead.

Very true, but I will say...after dealing with my parents death (they had a trust and were very organized with things which made dealing with their possessions very easy) and my mother in law's death (she didn't even have a will and was very unorganized which made life hell for my wife and siblings), I decided when my wife and I are gone, I want to make it as simple as possible for my two kids.

Mine will likely get sold off. Although my daughter might actually take Iron Man. She's 19 now and never cared for the pins...until Covid-19. She's been playing IM several times a week and just a few days ago threw up over 53,000,000 on it! Now that she understands most of the rules she loves it. She will also play an occasional IJ....but still won't touch the new JP...says it's too hard.

Young guy here, so by the time I'm dead my EMs will be worth like, 5K each right?

I'm an attorney and my practice consists of appx. 80% estate work, so i hear you.

I tell clients (usually when signing their Will) to list out their accounts, beneficiaries, and the like for their executors. Makes life SO much easier.

I have fixed my games so they should outlast all of ya!

I honestly wish My father had taken care of his will sooner. Dealing with selling off his assets while dealing with my stepmother was pure hell. The fighting, the lawyer fees, her accusing me of stealing things. Even simple things like her asking me where something from his collection went was a huge deal and hassle. She would ask her lawyer who would ask my lawyer who would ask me... then I would send her the bill of sale we both signed for the item again (I would give her a copy of the bill of sale when a machine sold) with a copy of the deposite slip for that item (again).... that will be $400 in lawyer fees.
We dont talk now. She sold my father's house last year.... my childhood home I grew up in.... and never even told me.
The worst thing.... my father had a will with my mother who passes away 1989.... my step mother found it, didnt tell me, and shredded it. I know this happened because she gave me a box of papers she went through and left the empty envelope labeled "Will" with both their names on it. I remember them having one made before my mom died when I was 12. I know where the will was drafted and filed. I could have got that will and screwed her out of everything.... but that's not what my dad would have wanted, so I let her have the house, and let state law take its path.
Sorry... I guess I'm venting now... I'm still emotionally dealing with it all 5 years later. I guess what I'm saying is if you care about your family and what they might go through after you are gone.... get a will.

-Jeff

I have a spreadsheet with details for each pin/vid I have.

Selling them will be my sisters problem, but at least she will have a guide to use when that time comes to fend off the low ballers.

We have a will and a trust. both boys are executors. The pins (and everything else) are listed with values. They also have names of close friends that will help them deal with games they wish to sell (They each have their favorites). My Mom passed (somewhat suddenly...) in Jan. of 2017 she had her house and anything else she had basically in dual ownership or transfer on death but she had no will. So on top of dealing with her passing I had to deal with everything it took me almost a month to get her death certificate because the M.E. wouldn't sign off on it (hence one reason for the lawyer) nothing was organized and after going through everything in her house and getting her "estate" settled with lawyers (she was in Florida and I'm not so different rules etc.) to help me figure out what I had to do..was all a nightmarish expensive ordeal and I still had to deal with loosing her. Then my great Aunt (also in Fla. but a different city) passed in July of 2017 (@ 100 and a half yoa.) She had a trust/will and everything pretty much came to me except for things she had designated for charities. It was still an ordeal but at least I had some idea of what was happening with her estate and it wasn't nearly as stressful as my Mom. We decided that we didn't want our boys to have to deal with anything close to that...so we got the will/trust done ASAP so some of the ordeal will be dealt with for them and with the help of friends they won't be "on their own" so to speak...

Phoebe