It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Allen County place and not find Stamps and Coins, Cookie Jars or a Pooh collection.
Allen County baby-boomers took seriously collecting items. The trend these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes away where do you go with their Precious Moments, Cookie Jars or Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Items online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up appealing listing descriptions, figuring out 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 $30 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 Allen County Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s well cared-for items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Allen County 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 Grandmother 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 take Pooh Collectibles.
My answer is yes! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Allen County 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 donated collection along with mine. I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 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 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 collection. You can put a price tag on a mug or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Items 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 Allen County to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633
Elizabeth | Kinder | Oakdale |
Oberlin | Reeves |