Dear Lee,

Sometimes collectors hide small, valuable things in odd places, perhaps behind the backing paper on a painting, inside a decorative pillow, between the pages of a book or in the drapes between the outside fabric and the lining. Be sure you tell an heir where things are hidden. You might even list your hiding places and put the list in a safe deposit box to be opened when necessary.

Large collections can lead to large problems. Ralph and I knew Barry Nelson, a prolific actor who was the first James Bond (in a 1954 TV movie). Barry, a passionate collector, devoted his retirement to buying more. We often discussed his latest buys with him and his wife, Nansi. They lived in a Manhattan apartment but stored much of their collection at their homes in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Now we’ve learned that a mix-up in the Nelsons’ mail in 2005 meant they never received a tax bill on an upstate New York house where they had stored many antiques. Without their knowledge, the house went into foreclosure and was sold in April 2006. It wasn’t until a few months later that the Nelsons learned of the sale and hired a lawyer. Then after Barry died in April 2007, the contents of the house started to disappear. Nansi says over a million dollars worth of antiques and her files on the collection are missing. Although some suspects have been identified and Nansi has filed additional lawsuits, she will probably never get everything back.

We understand the emotional pain of losing a collection, especially after a spouse’s death. It can make you feel your memories have been stolen, too. But most of Nansi’s pain could have been avoided. The Nelsons should have kept records with them wherever they were living that listed their houses, storage units and antiques—and they should have detailed where everything was stored. Lessons learned from the Nelsons: Be careful about where you store things, don’t store your paperwork with your antiques and pay attention to legal matters. We add that you should always check the lining of drapes and shake all the books.