Selling Toys is Not Much Fun

For the last year we've been trying to sort and organize a rather large collection of toys (the collectible kind) and it's turned out to be far more difficult than I expected. Truth is, it wouldn't be hard for me ... it would be gone by now (it isn't), all of it, but it's hard for the guy that owns them.

I've done my share of pushing him, and to be fair to him, he has sold quite a number of boxes of toys, so the effort is there, it's just going a lot slower than I'd hoped. Besides the boxes that have sold, he's set out a box full of toys for our nephews (both grown up with kids of their own), one of our grandson's has claimed a few, and the Toyman has donated some to several groups for fundraising.

Cardboard Cars and Wheeled Toys

Had a hard time parting with this.

Who knows what lies inside the mind of a collector?  In some ways I actually can relate, because I have my own (few, and small) collections. I used to collect a lot of different things, and have whittled away almost all of it, except for the things that are usable (some kitchenware for example, that I still use), and even fewer things that are just for looking at.  Having been a prolific collector myself in the past, I do understand part of the thought process, just not all of it.

Sold at Garage Sale

For me, when it came time to pare down (to move), it wasn't all that hard to clear out the things I no longer used, no longer had on display, and no longer had room for. There were a very few pieces that I had a problem getting rid of, but I did. There is a time and place for everything, and when it gets to the point that there isn't (a time and place), it's time to start emptying out.

The Toyman has a harder time with that, but as much as I want to just grab stuff "I" don't think he needs ... that really doesn't work.  He'd be annoyed if I did that, but he'd also get over the annoyance. The problem is that he would eventually (slowly) replace that stuff. You can't change another person, but you can push or nudge them towards making that change, and you can support them as they go through it.