An old collector passed away recently after a life filled with hunting for the most beautiful art and antiques to fill his home. The collection was his child, and he valued it immensely. There were treasures that he purchased in his college days and some that came from eBay just before his passing. Each one was chosen with the love of a scholar, curator and aesthete. And yet, when it was all said and done, his family had no interest in the collection. He had shared it freely with them, but the collecting DNA must have passed through a different line as none were interested. His passing was anticipated but not expected to happen so quickly after the final diagnosis. And thus after the collector died, the family moved in to sell everything. The gold and silver were held onto as investments, but the rest of the estate was sent to a local auctioneer. The sad part of the tale was that the collector had never left notes about the collection. So the various items were simply lotted and sold. There was no record of what the items were or who had owned them or why they were important. Neither the family nor the auctioneer was particularly interested. It was stuff, and after all the articles online said formal furnishings were dead to the world. So if they got a few thousand or even a few hundred dollars, well, it was okay. I tell this fictional tale because I know variants of this are all too true. Many collectors who see their family is not interested clam up and leave no records for their heirs about the items. Why bother? They just want the money, so let them work for it a bit! Its a mindset that I have heard over and over again. And yet, the sad part of it all is that the collectors knowledge of his/her own stuff is what is being lost. The fact that the chair came from a major dealer and is published in six books was lost. The reality that the painting is not signed but in fact is by artist x and thus is historically and financially important is lost. If I listen, I can hear the old collector saying that giving the items up without their history is part of the fun for the next generation. The word research comes from two derivative words: RE and SEARCH as in you have to continue to research topics over and over. But I would challenge the old collector that this is a poor approach. Years ago when my friend Clarke Hess died, his heirs arranged with Horst auction to keep the catalog of the collection available online after the sale. Clarke collected items from the Lancaster County Mennonite community, and so the provenance of those pieces is critical, especially to the families. So the action of his heirs in keeping that alive for the future is so appreciated by those collectors and scholars who will stumble upon the items in the future. As collectors, we need to remember that we are only temporary custodians of our collections and we will, as did the old collector, throw off the mortal coil at some point. When we do, leaving a legacy of a well-researched collection for the next generation is so important. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.