It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Depue place and not find Stamps and Coins, Vinyl Records or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Depue baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting stuff. The trend these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes what do you do with their Comic Books, Vinyl Records or Winnie the Pooh collectibles?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out appealing listing descriptions, locating postage, packaging materials and weighing each item, answering question messages from potential buyers, dealing with returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Grandma may have paid $70 for an item but the online going rate is only $2.79. You need to ask yourself the question “is my time worth just a few dollars”? Online selling can take a lot of time.
You can give it to a place like a Depue Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s adored collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Depue children’s place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Grandma really took care of the plush and displayed them. Some people have a hard time with a plush collectible becoming a plush child toy.
Many times I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Collection.
My answer is absolutely! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Depue collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their items becomes part of history vs. being sold for a buck at a rummage sale. I let them know I will showcase their donation of collectibles along with mine. I consider their collection as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Items I think it makes people feel better which I am happy for. Letting go of “things” can be hard for a collector and owners and even sometimes for relatives. As much as we don’t want to be labeled as “materialistic” – things we buy and collect can have sentimental attachments and it’s those feelings that we are attached to probably more than the items. People remember where they were when they received an item, who they were with or even where in their life cycle they were. They don’t want those memories to vanish with the collection. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Depue to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Winnie the Pooh Items to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633