It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Stryker home and not find Precious Moments, Trading Cards or a Pooh Bear collection.
Stryker baby-boomers were obsessed collecting stuff. The movement these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector family member dies where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Cookie Jars or Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating 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. Mom 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 Stryker Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s cherished collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Stryker kids place. However, many places only want 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 emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Items.
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 Stryker 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 donation of collectibles 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 statue 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 together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Stryker to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633