My Mom Wants to Give Me Her Porcelain Figurines. Can I Sell Them and Pocket the Money?

You might be thinking about selling your home and moving to smaller digs, especially if you’re approaching retirement. In a 2025 National Association of Realtors survey, nearly 1 in 4 homebuyers ages 45 to 59 who recently purchased a house said that downsizing played a factor in their decision to move.

When we downsize our living quarters, many of us also downsize our possessions, often passing on some of the things we cherish but will no longer have room for, whether it be vinyl records, comic books or other collectibles.

Sadly, our children don’t always want to inherit the things that we’ve treasured for years — and may even want to sell them. If that happens, who’s entitled to the money? Our etiquette columnist weighs in.

My mom is downsizing and moving into assisted living. She wants to give each of her kids a cherished possession. I’m getting her entire collection of Lladró porcelain figurines. The problem is, I think they are hideous and would never display them in my home. I looked on eBay and was shocked to see how much they’re worth. Is it OK to sell them and keep the money? I live across the country and my mom can’t travel anymore, so she’d never know.

You have brought me a real pickle. On the surface, it seems simple: You were given a collection of items, and now it’s yours to do with as you please. But there are a few factors at play here that can complicate the matter.

While it’s true that no rule of etiquette says you have to keep things you’re given, there is etiquette to consider around respecting a loved one’s wishes.  

Money Manners

Lizzie Post is AARP's financial etiquette columnist. She is the great-great-granddaughter of etiquette legend Emily Post. She’s also the co-president of The Emily Post Institute, co-author of Emily Post’s Etiquette: the Centennial Edition and co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast.

Have a question? Email us at moneymanners@aarp.org. 

In this case, your mother is simply moving to a smaller home. If she had died, it would be easier for me to say go ahead and sell her collection of Lladró figurines, if that’s what you want to do. But that isn’t the case. Your mother is offering them to you because she needs to downsize, and it’s unclear whether she’s giving them to you as a gift or for safekeeping.

By no means should you go behind her back and sell the collection, even if your mother can’t physically travel to see you. You never know, she might ask to look at the figurines when you video chat. Selling them without speaking to her first is the worst thing you can do in this situation.

The best course of action here is for you to talk to your mom about her intentions and how she'd feel about the option you're considering. You could open with, “Mom, I’ve been thinking about the Lladró figurines, and I’d like a bit of clarity. Are you giving them to me to do with as I please, or do you want me to be their caretaker and hold on to them for you?” Her answer will give you more information to work with and help you feel more confident moving forward, either with the figurines or without them.

If she wants you to keep them, there may be an opportunity to meet in the middle and agree that you’ll hold on to one or two of her favorites and sell the rest. This could be a nice solution, if she’s amenable to it.

If she gives you the green light to sell any of them, ask her directly whether she’d like the money or if you can keep it. That’s her call, not yours. 

Bottom line: Respect your mother’s wishes, whatever they turn out to be.