Hello again, all

[kevinbastos]

Been in out and around a lot of stuff over the last few years - and wanted to give all a shout again to those of you who were here before, after and all others around, too.

Been writing like a fiend for school - new course this year that I am loving and hating. Trying (desperately) to get caught up on a few reads that have been in my pending box, and sort of finishing out a re-organization of what is on my shelf. Finally starting to feel like I am getting my hands a LITTLE bit wrapped around the whole mess of my life.

For anyone who still remembers my old mothball-podcast, Madeline is a senior - and applying to college.

Anyhoo - starting to think about life. My mother-in-law died last year, and much of the last two years have been involved in the whole closure of her life, care-taking and trying to convince my wife that I did NOT need her help at home when I DESPERATELY did - and then putting her house up for sale, and etc.

Getting rid of much of her home - and by getting rid, I mean donating and trashing much of it - I have really started to look at the whole comic book collection and have been strongly considering selling large portions, CGC-ing and then selling, or building a coffin out of all of the old issues and making a whole new way to drive my wife insane after I have gone.

So...

CGC-ing? Resources? Suggestions? Ideas?

Selling? Probably will put together collections of things and then reverse-auction much of the stuff... Some of it is pretty cool, some of it pretty lame, some not seen for a while, and a few oddball things I don't think I have ever really seen...

Anyone gone through this? Not even certain where or how I would get started harvesting, but putting all of the stuff in one room has really made me consider. Do I really need this many West Coast Avengers Comics? And Thunderbolts full runs? And all of these unopened packages of VEI promotion materials?

Good day... Off to teaching. Or inspiring. Or something.

KB

[TheeBaldMoose]

Don't know you like the others that have been around know you, but I've come across your name a few times. Sorry to hear about the family issues.

I guess it depends on where you currently stand regarding your finances. CGCing, then selling, you'll make more money, but then again some of the lower CGCed stuff might cost you, or be tougher to sell. Selling in the raw can save you money. All you would have to do is set your price, barter a little, and call it good.

My two cents,

Just curious, would you be selling VH1, VEI, or a mix?

[bobby97801]

Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law

[jmatt]

Hey Kev, good to see you again. Sorry to hear about the family woes.

This has been bandied about before... what the heck would my heirs do with all this stuff? It's a tough question. And like you, when my grandparents died many years ago, other than the few photos and keepsakes, their life's possessions went into a dump. It's a sad reality but it is what it is.

Collectibles, however, are a different story. You won't have trouble finding buyers on Ebay or here, I would think.

[drmirage]

Good to hear from you!

Maddie is Applying for college. Wow. Time Flys. Missed the podcast.

I donated lots of my common, pullbox and reg.

[grendeljd]

Good to hear from you again around these parts, Kevin! Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law, and wow - can't believe your daughter is off to college soon! Your old podcast with her on was great fun to listen to.

Certainly, when it comes to pondering mortality, material possessions can lose their shine in a hurry. But we all should enjoy our time while we're here, and if collecting things is something that gives you joy, no one would begrudge you that. Weigh that against the kinds of feelings that arise from a death in the family. Eventually you will move beyond the grief (as we all must do, in a healthy manner), and if it's really not making you happy, that is the time when it's appropriate to make a change.

I recently purged out about 250 comics from my collection that I'll never miss, but I still have thousands. It felt good to do that, even if it was just a fraction of what I have. It's a cathartic streamlining of hanging on to things that make me happy vs. things that don't.

Hope you stay well & hang out here again more often.