Text 20968, 102 rader
Skriven 2009-02-16 14:45:08 av hap newsom (1:124/311)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: RE: Silver
==================
Gidday Jim!
-> 
->  HN> easier to hide!
-> 
->  -> rare postage stamps.
-> 
->  HN> Makes sense if you can get the rare stamps
-> 
-> In a major city like Warsaw there would be lots of dealers.
-> 
99% of stamps are not very valuable
Those that are, are not as easy to find
as you might suspect. And knowing which
is WHICH can make or break you...I suspect
your friend was very lucky in being able to
find stamps that he could get AND be able
to convert them back to cash at a later time.
Just like rare coins, rare stamps are valuable
because of that scarcity!

->  HN> I was a collector of stamps for years
-> 
-> So was I, from childhood to my mid-thirties. I still have that
-> collection carefully stored away on the off chance I resume
-> interest in collecting. Alternatively it's an investment to cash in
-> on some day or one heck of a gift to a young person who shows a
-> genuine interest.
->
You may or may not have some stamps 
of significant value. I never collected for 
the "value" just because I liked the pretty
stamps! I did manage to get a few stamps
that really were valuable, but then I never
put those stamps into albums! 
 
-> My mineral and gem collection was at my parent's house for decades
-> in the basement as it was too heavy to ship here. I ended up giving
-> it away to a first year geology student who answered an ad when I
-> was cleaning house for the estate sale. She got an really extensive
-> collection of high grade ores from numerous Canadian mines,
-> including some museum grade pieces, all my notes, an out of print,
-> pre-war Dana handbook (the classic mineralogy bible), and a small
-> lab including a high end microscope. I do believe it was appreciated
-> and that my work was preserved.
->
Sometimes that knowledge is worth more than the 
$$ you would have realized! If you ever get the 
chance, you should go to Tucson AZ in February
when they have the "big" rock show...it's the 
biggest in the world and it is simply awe inspring
to see all that stuff!
 
-> When I de-commissioned the lab, so that the property would pass an
-> environmental review and be salable, I wish I had saved at least one
-> microscope for the grandkids. They have a $60 toy one but the optics
-> are horrible compared to a professional model.
->
You can always keep an eye out! I got 
one for Amanda a long time back and it's 
an antique but still a magnificent piece of 
equipment!
 
->  -> He also rather cannily bought a house every time he had a kid, set
->  -> the mortgage up for 18 years, rented it out and then gifted it to
->  -> them when it was paid for, provided they enrolled in university. All
->  -> of them did.
-> 
->  HN> He's very lucky! I had a friend
->  HN> big money for HIS kids... out of his three kids, only
->  HN> one managed to survive the money. the other
->  HN> two blew it and made horrible decisions (both 
->  HN> personal and financial) and both ended up
->  HN> in bad situations.
->  
-> Although he had a good head start from the stamp proceeds he worked
-> hard all his life. So did the kids, in their father's restaurant or
-> their uncle's motel (both of which are still in existence). All they
-> got initially was one old rundown house each. And they didn't get
-> title in their own name until they graduated. The rest of the estate
-> came later. The daughter I knew graduated with straight "A"s and
-> went into the federal civil service and climbed rapidly through the
-> ranks in policy and planning. Others became entrepreneurs in the
-> hospitality industry. All did well and modelled their
-> investment/inheritance strategies after their father's.
-> 
More a matter of good luck, kids don't come
with a guarantee! (grin) I've seen some kids 
from really good and caring parents turn out
incredibly bad...and some from situations you'd
expect them to not survive...and they become
great people!. I'm the first to admit to my own
luck! Amanda is a wonderful person and I'm 
so very proud of her. But when she was 
just a baby....I looked very carefully...
and there was no guarantee or warrenty 
card ANY where (grin)
I hope you're as lucky with your 
grandkids!
chat with you soon!
hap 
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