It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Bel Air house and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Paper Weights or a Pooh Bear collection.
Bel Air baby-boomers loved collecting stuff. The tendency these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes away what do you do with their Hummels, Books or Pooh Bear items?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing inviting 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. Mom may have paid $90 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 Bel Air Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Bel Air kids 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 contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Collection.
My answer is with great excitement! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Bel Air collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their collectibles 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 items as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a plush or poster but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Bel Air to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Winnie the Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633