It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Choteau Junction home and not find Comic Books, Trading Cards or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Choteau Junction baby-boomers took seriously collecting stuff. The trend these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative passes away where do you go with their Comic Books, Trading Cards or Winnie the Pooh items?
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, thinking up appealing listing descriptions, figuring out 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. Mother 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Choteau Junction Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Choteau Junction kids place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Mother 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 absolutely! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Choteau Junction 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 collection as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the 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 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 items. You can put a price tag on a mug or statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Choteau Junction to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Winnie the Pooh Items to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633