Found: Leica Collection

[schottmark]

I guess this is every 35mm photographer's dream. While cleaning out the house and storage garage of a recently passed relative, I came across a box of Leica equipment. To my knowledge, this relative was never a photographer except for family gatherings and things of that sort, but there it was.

There are several bodies and lenses and numerous straps, cases, filters, etc.

The sentimental part of me wants to hold onto everything, maybe get them CLAd, and hopefully use some of the equipment myself. But the other part of me feels I should keep perhaps one body and a couple lenses and send the rest along with the other possessions to the estate sale (which ultimately benefits the whole family).

I guess I'm extending my "problem" (can I call it that?) to the rest of you all, as an extension of my conscience.

What would you do?

[billbretz]

Well, how or if you share the find is up to you, but I would not liquidate it via an "estate sale," where it's true value would likely not be realized.

[htimsdj]

Did others have the opportunity to "keep" anything before it went to the sale? If so, say this is what you want.

[ntenny]

Wow, that's a pretty exciting find!

Personally, I tend to think that tools should get used. If there's more there than you would realistically use yourself, maybe it makes sense to consider whether there are other relatives who would get some use from it.

On the other hand, there are some Leica items whose collectible value seems clearly to exceed their "user" value, and if the cache includes any of those, it seems like it might make sense to sell them for the value to the family. (It does seem like an estate sale wouldn't be the best way to get that value out of them, though.)

Ultimately, it's your family and your conscience, so it's hard for someone else to say anything very helpful, I guess. Any idea what the other relatives think about it all?

-NT

[lns]

What would I do? I'd say, "Look what I found everybody; these could be worth something." Then I'd have them appraised (this could be as easy as calling KEH for a wholesale value, or checking on ebay). If I wanted anything, I'd ask for that as part of my share of the estate.

If you're asking, would I take some before telling anyone, no way. A Leica, or any other camera, isn't worth your integrity.

-Laura

[elekm]

While no one will be getting rich from this, you can get a few hundred dollars and perhaps make the rest of the family's day a bit brighter.

[bdial]

If it's reasonable for that to be your portion of the estate then claim it if you choose.
Otherwise buy it from the estate for a fair price.
Or, if there is gear you may not want, you could offer to market it to a better venue than the estate sale. If the estate is being auctioned, you could work out a minimum price with the auction co. to be sure it gets a good value.

However, in the case of an auction, if it's promoted reasonably there may be no worries about getting a good price. The last estate auction I attended that featured camera gear, all of the camera lots sold for extraordinary prices.

[fschifano]

As distasteful as I find it, I'm pretty sure that there's a legal obligation to forward everything on to the estate sale. However, there's nothing to prevent you from coming to an agreement with all other interested parties about the camera equipment.

[Colin Corneau]

Talk to the family. Work something out...lots of options.

I'd see if I could work something out that my share of the eventual tally from the estate sale be deducted the appraised value of the Leica gear -- that way you 'pay' for it and it's all above board.

[ntenny]

Estate law is complicated, and I for one know next to nothing about it. I hope all advice in this thread will be read with an implied "...assuming the lawyer says it's OK to do it that way"!

That said, the two estates I've had some involvement with (one in California, the other in Pennsylvania) both had clear arrangements where certain people had first go at personal property before it went into the general estate. So at least in some jurisdictions it can be done.

-NT