It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Fort Wayne residence and not find Hummels, Books or a Pooh collection.
Fort Wayne baby-boomers loved collecting stuff. The craze these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Trading Cards or Pooh Bear collectibles?
You could try to sell the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out attractive listing descriptions, locating postage, packaging materials and weighing each item, answering question messages from potential buyers, handling returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Grandma may have paid $100 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Fort Wayne Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s treasured collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Fort Wayne kids place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Great Aunt really took care of the plush and displayed them. Some people have a hard time with a plush collectible becoming a plush child toy.
Over the years I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take 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 Fort Wayne collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their collection becomes part of history vs. being sold for a buck at a rummage sale. I let them know I will showcase their donated items along with mine. I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Collectibles 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 family members. 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 purchased 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 items. You can put a price tag on a stuffie or book but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Fort Wayne to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633