If you have been buying Meccano using your joint credit card or cheque book, and showing your spouse your computerised inventory list and the latest 'through the roof' increased valuations from eBay, you are in trouble. After being divorced,
you could find yourself living in a cardboard box with some of the Meccano as your half share of the assets, while your spouse retains everything else as her half share of the relationship property.

If you have or are likely to have considerable valuable Meccano assets, a survival strategy should be considered along the lines of:

• Form a trust and transfer ownership of assets before the relationship commences.
• Make gifts to clear the trust indebtedness to you.
• Make gifts of cash to the trust for future purchases.
• Minimise the paper trail of purchases and sales to reduce hard evidence and keep the essential remainder out of sight or off the premises.
• Keep all records on removable media and off the computer hard drive.
• Do not discuss individual items and their financial history/value with anybody(especially your nosey in-laws).

The process of dissolving a relationship can turn vicious. If 'darling' turns to 'bastard' then an immediate plan is needed:

• Employ a good lawyer.
• Move most (but not all) of your Meccano off the premises in sealed boxes to your various mates for out of sight safe keeping. Get a receipt.
• Claim everything of the spouse's as a bargaining chip even if you don't want it including half of the shoes (the left foot ones J).

Still, if all this fails you can look wistfully at some cool Meccano posters here.