I just had the pleasure of helping a friend of the family with this very issue. First, the gentlemen that passed away was a very serious collector of double barrels and had an impressive collection. Prior to his passing he made a deliberate decision to sell the majority of his highest grade guns. He contaced several other collectors including myself and offered these guns at going rate. Most were sold within a one year period. After he passed away his wife asked that I help her with the rest of the guns. I spent several hours going through the remaining guns and talking with several people on this board about their value. I listed the guns for sale on the board and all were sold within a couple of weeks as well as a collection of books. My friend's wife was pleased and very thankful for the help I provided, and I felt as though I had been of help.
I will point out that I fully agree with everyone's suggestion of keeping a log book of the Guns, with the key information including price, value, to help guide someone down the road. That being said, several times I have seen family members be more concerned about getting rid of the guns verses getting a fair value and have been very happy when the sold the entire lot at reduced prices. That's their decision to make if arrangements have not been made prior to the passing of the owner/collector.
