Passing on the Magic: Should BJDs be Included in Your Will?

Prepare for a thought-provoking discussion that delves into the realm of BJD legacy.

While it may not be the most cheerful topic to tackle over your morning coffee, let’s address a question that has been stirring curiosity within the doll community: What happens to your cherished dolls when you pass away?

Join me as we explore the concept of a “BJD will” and embark on a journey of contemplation and planning. It’s time to shed light on a topic that sparks intrigue and introspection, inspired by a question that recently emerged in a DOA thread.

I myself am no spring chicken but it made me think….will my family know what to do with them? Do they even know what they are? Do they understand the potential monetary value they could hold?

Let’s talk about what we can do.

Key Takeaways
Document important doll information: Record the date of purchase, original price, BJD company, and sculpt/model. Including photos matching the descriptions is helpful.
Communicate your wishes: Let your family know whether you recommend keeping or selling the dolls and address it in writing, such as in a will.
Help with selling the dolls: Provide a list of potential selling platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and online BJD forums. Educate them on the selling process.
Stress the importance of organization: Keep your collection and related documents in order, easily accessible for your family. Label drawers and consider doll head cap markings.
Start documenting your collection: Begin keeping a log of your dolls, not only for your family but also for your own benefit as a collector.
Encourage dialogue: Share your suggestions on writing wills and what others can do with their dolls after they pass away in the comments section.

Related/Helpful Articles:
https://bjdlife.com/how-to-display-your-bjds/

Get the records straight

First and foremost, unless someone in your family is aware of what dolls you bought, when you bought them, what company they are from etc. I think it is pretty important to document all that information for them.

There are a few log books out there today that you can get to start this process.

Emily P from Facebook on BJD Addicts made a downloadable free book which can be found here.

There is also a book being sold on Amazon too from D.A. called the BJD Collector’s Logbook

The most important information to have documented for them is the following…

Date purchased:

Purchased from:

Original Price:

BJD Company:

BJD Sculpt/Model:

Having photos of your dolls that match the descriptions are also very important and can be helpful to your family in the future. Once you have all your documentation in place let’s talk about what to do next.

Do they sell or keep your dolls?

I think it is important to let family know what your recommendation would be. If you think your family would keep your dolls, showing them how to sell them might be beneficial. On the other hand, if you have someone close to you that you would give them to make sure that it addressed in writing somewhere.

This is why it is so important to have some sort of will established. Please check out this article I found on the basics of writing a will.

The main point being, you must write down your wishes somewhere for your family to know what to do with your collection. I have seen a few Facebook posts circulate with situations of family members passing and not knowing what to do with the dolls. Some get put into estate sales auctions, others just donated to Goodwill. If only family members knew that they could potentially get hundreds of dollars by selling them. This could help cover funeral costs and any other expenses.

Helping your family sell your dolls

If you come to the decision that it might be in your families best interest to sell them, you will need to show them how to sell them. Leave a list of places they could potentially sell the dolls.

-Facebook

-Instagram

-Online BJD forums

I recently talked about how to sell dolls in the second hand market place on my YouTube channel. Feel free to leave that information to them as well.

Most forums and Facebook pages require that you are a member of their group and that the dolls are in your possession in order to sell them. Therefore things could get tricky if you try to have them sell the dolls on an online forum space.

If your family cannot post the dolls for sale on BJD forum sites then the next step can be selling the dolls on eBay. This is why it is very important that you leave a logbook/info on your dolls for them to know at what price to sell them.

Make sure to stress that they should be given with their COAs and leave an explanation as to what a COA is. (COAs are certificates of authenticity)

Organization is key

We never know when we will be called up to the pearly gates BUT it is important to keep your collection in order and make things easily accessible. Keep your log and COAs in a place that will be easy for family to find. I will be the first to say that my collection does get messy from time to time but I always try to keep things in one place.

It would be best to make sure your family sees your collection at one point and gets a feel for where things are. Even if you have photos of your collection and written explanation on where things are or what they are, could be helpful.

If you have a large collection with additional items besides the dolls themselves, try to have that in order. If you have cabinets or shelves with doll things, label your drawers so they can know where things are.

Another thought that crossed my mind was maybe even going as far as putting in pencil the info for the dolls on the inside of the dolls head caps. At the minimum, the sculpt name so they can match it to the logbook. My thoughts behind this is unless you leave very clear pictures of your dolls with your log book, family members will still not know who is who in your collection.

Closing thoughts

I really think it is good for collectors both veteran and new to start documenting their collection. We never know what will happen in the future and it is always best to be prepared.

I hope that reading this article pushes you to start documenting and keeping record of what you have. It is good for you to have a log of some sort of your dolls not only for your family but for you as a collector as well.

If you have any suggestions on writing wills, or what people can do with their dolls after they pass away, let us know in the comments section down below!