First of all, thank goodness you survived the heart attack!! Please take care of yourself first and foremost. As we all get older the reality of that fact really starts to set in and we all need to face that reality. I know I'm really starting to fee my advancing age.

I had a similar non health related wake up call about a year ago. We had the Bobcat Fire right on top of us for over a week and thought we would lose the house at any moment. I looked at my overfull safes, garage, storage shed and the attic above the garage and thought that there is no way I can save all of this stuff. Most of this stuff is going to burn up and will be gone forever. I started slowly loading up things that I could easily live without and started hauling to my dealer to move on. I was amazed at how much these "treasures" sold for. I cashed the checks and set that money aside as fun money and have been able to pick up some really nice pieces without spending any new money.

As I continue to downsize (removing quantity) and buying a few high quality pieces my collection is becoming more focused and of higher quality. My hoarding tendencies are now being replaced with the fun of turning pieces I'm not excited about into cash to obtain some new high quality pieces that I've always wanted. Don't get me wrong, the place is still a mess and I have a long way to go. Things I picked up for a few bucks are selling for outrageous prices. Of course the new pieces are higher priced as well. It's been a fun new way of collecting.

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts as I have shifted my priorities as well due to unforeseen circumstances. Keep mending and enjoy the collecting!!

Brian B