Leaving a 30,000 Item Collection Behind? Document it on hobbyDB first!

Dennis Erickson model car enthusiast. (Photo: Boyd Huppert, KARE)

Dennis Erickson’s friends knew he loved cars. Just exactly how much caught them by surprise when he died. Sure, they knew he had a Ford Model T, a 1959 Edsel station wagon, a 1966 Rambler, and a 1977 Pontiac Bonneville in the garage. But he also had a few model vehicles. Like over 30,000 of them, many of them larger scales like 1:18.

The Egan, MN resident had no family (more room for collectibles!), so he left the collection, which also included car brochures and other automobilia, to his church in his will. It’s a great gesture, although the excutor of the estate is scratching her head trying to figure out what’s what and how much everything is worth. “I’m still a bit overwhelmed,” said Lisa Lundstrom, the church’s chief financial officer. “It’s nuts!” The plan is to sell most of the collection, but without complete, detailed information from Erickson, that won’t be easy. “If I tried to sell it separately, the rest of my life would be Dennis’ life,” she laughs.

Just a tiny part of Erickson’s collection. (Photo: Boyd Huppert, KARE)

This would be a good time to point out that hobbyDB is a great way to keep track of your collection… what models you have, what you paid for them, where you got them, even where they are stored if that’s an issue. And with our new price guide, it’s easier to get a handle on what an item is worth. Remember,even it’s not a 30,000 item collection, keeping track of it isn’t just for your own good. It may be for the sanity of your friends and loved ones after you’re gone.

You can read the full article with more photos on KARE11.com