A family heirloom may matter most to the person least comfortable asking for it.

Wanting something and being able to ask for it are different capacities, and they are not distributed evenly. Whoever speaks first often gets the object, while the person with the deepest attachment stays quiet because asking feels greedy at such a time. Silence then gets read as indifference. Families end up allocating by confidence rather than by meaning, without anyone intending it.

When belongings are being divided, ask each person what they would like before anything is claimed. If you are the quiet one, saying what a thing means to you is a fair request rather than a demand.