Upbeat music Coming up on Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Matt helps a devoted daughter downsize her parents home.

We've moved 8,000 paintings.

8,000 paintings.

That's not an exaggeration.

No.

The home is filled with artwork created by her father.

That's my dad right there.

And every picture tells a story.

My gosh, Look at that.

He painted that.

Moving into a new home is exciting, but decluttering and downsizing can be an emotional journey.

We need your help.

I can see.

I see a lot of collections already.

It's paralyzing.

That's why it's important to start with a legacy list.

It's a list of a few cherished items with high emotional value that help tell your family's story.

My name is Matt Paxton, and I have the best job in the world.

Me and my team of experts help people downsize their homes and move.

But we also help them find their Legacy List.

You made my dream come true.

I can't believe it.

This is why we do this.

Funding for Legacy List is provided by.

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At Beacons, Our goal is to provide a smooth and simple moving experience, no matter the size or distance of your move.

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This is moving.

First Light Home Care committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

First Light believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing and personal hygiene.

Details at First Light Home Care dot com Today I'm in Pleasantville, New York, nestled in the beautiful Hudson Valley.

I'm here to meet Christine, help her downsize her parents home.

Her dad is a very prolific illustrator and artist, and the house is filled with his artwork.

It's going to be really challenging to figure out what to keep, what to donate and what to sell.

(door knocking) Christine.

Hello.

How are you?

good to finally meet you.

It's a beautiful house.

Thank you.

Oh, my gosh.

Thank you so much.

Look at this.

There is a lot of art.

Yes.

You've got carousel horses.

Yes.

They're everywhere.

At one point, we had 13.

Tell me why we're here.

So this is my mother and father's house.

I grew up here, and they've been here 60 years.

So.

A few years?

Yes, Mom and Dad are still here.

Mom and Dad still live here.

And their wish is to remain in their home.

Okay.

And so we are going to do everything possible to make that happen and age gracefully in place while at the same time trying to downsize.

So it's still their decision?

Yes, 100%.

About 15 years ago, my dad and my mom had some medical challenges.

And when that happened, we downsized their office and moved 8,000 paintings into their home.

8,000 paintings That's not an exaggeration.

No.

So we have art everywhere.

I had seen Jim's paintings online and in pictures, but until you see them in person, it doesn't do it justice.

I mean, his art is incredible.

Tell me about your dad's career.

My dad has been an illustrator for over 50 years.

He illustrated everything from novels to the U.N.. And so his collection is so incredible.

The challenge has been that he didn't want to let it go.

And so right now, my dad wants to share it.

All right.

So let's talk about your mom.

She's obviously going to be influencing this.

Yes.

My mom went to NYU.

She was a Power's model.

Don't know what that was.

So maybe you can find out.

We can find out.

So she was a model.

We think?

She was a model.

Or, she went to John Robert Powers Beauty School.

Okay.

And she was in fashion.

She was a buyer and she loved fashion.

And then she became my dad's agent and worked together.

And they represented 40 illustrators with their company called the Art Source.

That is so cool.

Right.

And now what do you do for a living?

I'm a music agent.

You're a music agent.

So, It comes full circle.

All right.

I can see why you're.

You're feeling such a responsibility.

Yes.

In this house?

Yes.

Is there anything else in this room you want to point out to me?

Yes.

This is one of my personal favorite paintings.

What do you love about it?

I played competitive volleyball and I played in Japan and China.

And my mom came.

She went to the black market with one of the translators.

And they found these authentic Japanese wedding gowns that are absolutely unbelievable.

And he painted that.

What was it like growing up with your mom and dad both in the business?

My dad and my mom never missed a game.

Never didn't show up.

And so it's kind of why I want to be here.

I get it.

Caregiving.

They were there for you.

You got to be there for them.

Yes.

It's the ultimate privilege to give back.

What is another space that we need to look at?

We've downsized some stuff currently and put it on the porch and we put some stuff in the basement to go or donate.

Let's go check out the basement.

Okay.

All right.

I'll follow you.

All right.

Look at this.

Yes.

I love it.

A lot of storage.

Yeah.

He's got all these heavy file cabinets that he would do all his research as an illustrator.

So when somebody would hire him, he would have files of people and nudes and you name it.

This is the working space that is filled.

So we need to empty the working space so it becomes an actual working space again.

Correct.

Walk me through the legacy list.

What am I looking for?

So the legacy list We have my mom's charm bracelet.

Okay.

Which, when my mom and dad were dating.

My dad would give her a charm for special events and it was like their love phrase.

Oh, that's cool.

That's their love language?

Yes.

Very cool.

Another item is a kimono that's featured in his artwork that we bought in Japan.

The third one is my father's coaching jacket.

He started the Pelham Bay Spartans with his brother and his friends, which was a pop Warner league for kids in the Bronx.

And they were the undefeated champs.

Holy cow.

This is like a real deal.

All right, so what else do we have?

The commemorative stamp that my father designed for the U.S.

Postal Service.

Oh, super cool.

It's actually the stamp and the artwork.

This is so cool.

My grandmother was a postmaster and I love all that stuff.

is anywhere else in the house that we should be looking for some of these legacy list items?

Yes.

And their primary bedroom may have some of these items.

This is about making space in the existing home for your parents to still enjoy it here.

Yeah.

But also celebrate all that they both done.

Yes.

This is a job that fills everything physical, monetary and emotional.

Jamie specialize in real estate, but Jamie went through houses with me for almost ten years.

This is the job that Jamie has to be in on.

Seriously.

You never wait for me.

Never.

I'm just checking my hair.

You're so vain.

So this is Mom and Dad's old bedroom.

But now, as they've age, they are now on the main floor.

Okay, so charm, bracelet, kimono.

What else was on it?

Stamp that he made for the U.S Postal Service.

A jacket from his football coaching days.

That's right.

Yep.

This is a cute little like wooden dollhouse All right, what you got over her Oh, my gosh.

Look at that.

He painted that.

It's just like crazy to me.

The process that you can just stare at a blank page and, like, create.

Look at the ballet slippers.

Oh, look.

The kimono.

I'm always shocked at how beautiful these are in person.

Oh, my gosh.

Look at that.

I know.

It's like, all handmade.

Look at this.

Wow.

If you look downstairs when we come in the house, you see the painting?

The model actually had it on, and it was inspired by this kimono.

Good job.

First legacy list item.

Love it.

The kimono.

The word translates simply as thing to wear.

But this beautiful garment is more than just clothing.

The kimono has become a wearable art and an iconic symbol of Japan.

During the Edo period.

From the 17th to mid 19th century.

Both men and women wore kimonos to announce their social status and unmarried woman traditionally wore long swinging sleeves to attract admirers.

If she got married, her bridal kimono may have been decorated with a flock of cranes.

The birds symbolize everlasting love because they mate for life.

Soon, the kimono became a competitive fashion statement.

Merchants started to show off their new wealth with opulent fabrics.

By the mid-19th century, Japan opened ports to foreign trade, and Western styles gained popularity.

Still, the kimono remained the outfit of choice for Japanese festivals and tea ceremonies.

Today, kimonos can still be seen around Japan, mostly at special occasions, as a tribute to national culture.

For younger generations, wearing the kimono is a way to be draped in the memory of ancestors.

Alright, I see some thing underneath here.

I'm very curious about.

Lets see what's in here.

I'm going to guess some type of portfolio.

Look at this.

This is incredible.

This is her mom's modeling portfolio.

The Power's girls.

And there were, like, some really big names that came out of this modeling agency, like Ava Gardner.

Don't know if you've heard of her.

I have.

Grace Kelly.

Grace Kelly.

She did okay.

I can see the family genes.

Yeah, sure.

Oh, absolutely stunning.

Tons of good stuff in there.

That's a good find.

And we'll keep looking.

Okeydoke.

It's a very interesting collection in this nightstand.

Oh.

Oh.

Looks like that is a charm bracelet.

So sweet.

Her dad used to buy her mom charms.

Oh, that's really special.

All right, let's see what some of these are.

There's an art palette.

Yeah.

There's a car.

Binoculars.

This is such a sweet thing, too, because there's probably, like, a story that goes each with, you know, there's a strange one.

Yeah.

Another legacy list item found.

This is kind of a catch all of everything.

All of that stuff needs to go.

All of this stuff needs to go.

And then the goal is any extra trash that we can get around here, out.

Okay.

Oh, that looks.

Old school.

I mean, this is the part of an artist man.

Like, everything has artistic value where you go, Wow.

United States Postal Service.

Oh, look at that.

It's the stamp they commission.

That is the stamp that they commissioned.

Yeah.

That's Denali.

Well, it's Mount McKinley.

Mount McKinley.

But they changed the name.

What's the year on it?

It is July 28th, 1972.

See, that's why it's McKinley.

Yeah.

That is awesome.

I mean, that's a huge deal, right?

To be commissioned by the U.S.

Postal Service They would issue these things that people would come up and they would buy the limited edition.

And he was the artist on one of them.

Well, another legacy list item.

Every tiny stamp is a work of art.

That's like a little piece of history that history goes back to 1841 when the first postage stamp originated in England.

On it was a picture of Queen Victoria and it was known as the Penny Black.

With it.

Letters under half an ounce could be sent anywhere in the country for just a penny, and the recipients no longer had to pay for their mail.

In 1847, the first postage stamps were authorized.

In the U.S., there is a five cent stamp featuring Ben Franklin and a ten cent with George Washington.

As our nation grew, so did the need for an efficient postal system.

Postage stamps ensured the mail got to its destination.

Whether it was on the other side of town or the other side of the country.

Over the years, stamps have commemorated wildlife, national parks and famous Americans whose likeness has been licked the most?

That would be George Washington, who has appeared on 300 different U.S. stamps more than any other person.

The number of letters needing a stamp has been declining over the years due to the popularity of email.

But that doesn't mean postal workers aren't busy.

On average, the Postal Service processes over 400 million pieces of mail each day.

You could almost call that a stampede.

Cabbage Patch doll.

Oh.

Oh, I got something.

Look at this.

Oh.

So this is the jacket.

The Pelham Spartans.

Undefeated.

Undefeated.

I think it's a really cool, like, split when you think about it.

This guy was a credible, world famous artist.

But yet to these kids, he was just coach Jimmy.

Jimmy.

Another legacy list item.

Found it.

We're knocking them out dude.

With the volume and the quality of art in this house, there's only one person I can bring in for more help.

I got to call Lex to walk into a house that has 8,000 works is unlike anything really I've ever done.

Usually artists tend to market their work during their lifetime.

And I was speaking with James.

He said he never tried to sell his work, and so he's kept everything.

The sheer numbers makes it a little bit of a task to put it into the marketplace.

You don't want to throw out 8,000 works into the marketplace You'll flood the market.

The first thing I would suggest with this collection is that we get it cataloged and periodically place it into the market.

And why not see if we can get an exhibition going?

And that would be a well-deserved huge boost for James and his family.

And I think the world to get to see his work.

This has been a great time for me.

I mean, to walk into this house and get to see all of his art, all of his collection.

Now, we'll probably need to do some more research to give you an idea of value, but that's going to be pretty significant.

All of these collections, I'm uncovering them as well, you know, walking through all the different various artworks and pieces is really treasure.

It's like Christmas every day.

It really is.

Now that we found all of the legacy list items, it's time to get to work.

We've got lots of space to clear and there's a lot of decisions that need to be made.

This has been a process for the last year that we've been trying to downsize for them.

Everything down here can go out.

All those files get trashed.

We go through this.

This can be shredded.

All right, This one's empty.

We can take this out.

He is definitely going to have some space back in his house.

This is great.

This is so much progress.

Now, this might feel like we're making a huge dent.

And we are.

Yeah, but there's still work to be done, you know, to work on.

But hopefully this is enough motivation and you see enough progress that you're you're really motivated to keep it going.

Yes.

This is a relief.

Yeah.

Because it just is freeing to, you know, have them age in place and not have to worry about any of this stuff.

So we're really thrilled.

Christina here we are.

Yeah, here we are.

First one Thank you for having us here.

This has been an absolute pleasure.

You told me I want to celebrate my parents and all of their art, and I think that's a great thing to do.

So the best way to do that is go to the legacy list.

Great.

The thing with your dad is every single thing has beauty.

You see the volume of the breadth of his work is flat out amazing.

I mean, your dad is an incredible artist.

Lex's advice was that you need to have a gallery show.

And I know you have the contacts on that.

Yes.

There's going to be tears of your dad's art.

Some needs to go now.

Something needs to be held, some is going to stay in the family.

Yes, but I have auctioneers that are very interested.

It will be an interesting year to see it unfold.

Awesome.

All right.

The first legacy list item is Mount McKinley.

Oh, that is amazing.

So he tell me about this.

My father was commissioned to do a stamp for the centennial celebration of the national parks.

And to be picked to do that is really incredible.

And he was not only picked for Mount McKinley, but he was picked for 22 panels for stamps.

Oh, wow.

22 different stamps.

Yes.

And for collectors where one was the art and then the stamp.

What does this mean to you?

Well, it's the legacy of my dad.

It's something that was shared with the world.

So this is something that, you know, is very dear to me.

Oh, my goodness.

Next piece is the red kimono.

Wow.

This was upstairs in their bedroom.

Very well preserved.

Yes.

What is this piece mean to you?

This piece is incredibly special to me.

My mom purchased two absolutely stunning Japanese wedding kimonos.

This was also inspiration for one of my favorite paintings that my dad did.

And it's really interesting to me.

All of the stuff your dad did, all the stuff your mom did, and they work together.

This is what I love about this story.

Yeah.

I'm going to go to the next legacy list item.

What is this?

This is his jacket.

Wow.

This is amazing.

He describes this league as one of the most proud moments in his entire career.

That's my dad right there.

He worked with young kids, mentoring, coaching.

My father and the other coaches meant the world to some of these players.

And how does that make you feel?

Very proud.

You know, a coach for someone is so important.

Some kids grow up without a father.

That coach fills that void.

And in all these pictures, he is proudly wearing this jacket.

Absolutely.

When we show this to him, he's going to tear up.

I love it.

All right.

The next legacy list item, you know what this is?

Yes.

This is a jewelry box of my mom's.

It is your mom's jewelry box.

Wow.

This is amazing.

So this is my mom's charm bracelet.

My father, he would give her a different charm for special events.

Was this dating?

Was this after they were married?

This was while they were dating.

And after.

So it was kind of.

They dated for seven years.

Oh, my gosh.

Yes.

And all of these are deliberate.

Like, you know, each one symbolizes something, some time, something special to them.

It represents their love and their never not been there for one another.

There was one other thing.

What is that?

The most beautiful thing your dad ever saw?

Your mom.

Oh, my God.

These are negatives of your mom.

Yeah.

Look at this.

Your mom is stunning.

I've never seen this.

Wow.

She looks like Audrey Hepburn.

This is a letter.

Huh?

This is your mom's letter from her agent.

And these are the negatives.

The negatives that they would send.

This is amazing.

So she did model?

Absolutely.

This is amazing.

Your dad's not the only special one on the bench.

No.

this is not on the legacy list.

I found this in your dad's office.

Oh, I bought this in Italy.

For him to be able to sketch or draw.

And it's beautiful.

It is beautiful.

Yeah.

So are the words in it.

You incredible penmanship, by the way.

Your handwriting is incredible.

How long ago was this written?

This was when he first got sick.

Okay.

So it's been a while.

Probably 12 years ago.

Okay.

Dear Dad, I don't think you will ever know how much you mean to me.

It has been your strong spirit and sense of pride that has made me who I am.

I know you will come back from this stronger and full of life and energy and vitality.

You're a fighter and you'll never give up.

That was right next to all of his art.

Yeah.

He reads that.

He knows it.

He does?

Yeah.

The beauty of how you all are loving each other is really important.

And there's people at home right now that need to hear.

It's worth it.

Absolutely.

Downsizing is not just stuff.

Aging is not just stuff.

Sure, the stuff is just a message of the love.

Yeah.

But lets end on what advice are you going to give to people that are in your role right now?

Show up, be there, be present.

Spend as much time as you can with them while you have them.

You will not regret it.

And it will be hard.

But it will be worth it.

Funding for Legacy List is provided by Wheaton Worldwide Moving.

Wheaton's number one goal is to help you, your loved ones and your belongings get to your new home quickly and safely.

You can find us at Wheaton Worldwide dot com.

Wheaton Worldwide.

Moving.

We move your life.

First light Home Care.

Committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

First light believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing and personal hygiene.

Details at First Light Home Care dot com.

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