Dang...
I see plenty of machines I would be interested in but yes, it is scary what can happen to your collections (of anything actually) after you die or just get too old to manage anymore.
I have to keep my collection small. We don't have ten acres to spread out in and I want to be able to access my machines and sew with them as the mood strikes. They also need to be protected when not in use. For me this means clean up and get running the machines I have, get them in cases and figure out some sort of shelving to keep them on. That shouldn't take too long. Maybe just a couple years.
I also have to refine what it is I truly want and then stick with that. Right now I like (and want) them all. There's far too many interesting machines out there, not to mention the cases and cabinets they're in and their attachments.
What I don't want is a big pile of machines that will be a burden to whoever has to clean up after I'm gone.
Rodney