To everyone -- Joyce Brite's letter concerning settling estates is
definitely something to seriously consider.

Whilst no one likes to think about it -- and very few people talk about
it -- what happens to our 'treasures' should be discussed and written
down to avoid any conflicts in the future.

I, personally, have no relatives to leave my business to,  -- so what
would my non-mechanical sister think of thousands of screws/washers/
bins, boxes and drawers of old dirty music box parts, etc. if I didn't
make it known what to do with them?  They'd probably get tossed in the
next garbage collection!  No Joke!

Most of our relatives/friends have no idea of the $ value nor historical
value of any given piece.

If you have some unknowledgeable, uninterested-in-your-stuff relatives and
friends, might I suggest a letter along with, or in your will, telling of
either various dealers or organizations which could be contacted to help
dispose of your 'collection', *or* a favorite organization to *donate*
your entire collection to.  And *definitely* have your collection
appraised by a qualified person at least once.  And keep a copy of that
appraisal with your will.

If you have a favorite piece(s) that you would like a friend or relative
to have, *specify* that in your will.  It will save many hard feelings,
especially when you're not around to settle any argument!

Donating your collection, in part or all of it, helps to insure that

1) you'll know that your collection won't be hauled away, burned,
trashed, etc.;

2) it will be partially or completely in the hands of people who
know and care about such pieces;

3) some of it may be used to further the education and appreciation of
people visiting the organization's collections/ museums; and

4) if the organization can't use some of the pieces/parts, they can sell
the surplus to enthusiastic collectors, thus having two benefits: the
piece goes to someone who really wants it, and the organization generates
some income to further its cause.

As the demographics of MMD show, most of us have lots of 'stuff' and
we're not getting any younger!   Protect the heritage of these pieces!

Nancy Fratti¶
MusicBoxLady@Juno.com¶
hppt://www.quikpages.com/P/musicbox