It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Pine Glen place and not find Precious Moments, Cookie Jars or a Pooh collection.
Pine Glen baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting items. The trend today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member dies where do you go with their Art, Cookie Jars or Pooh Bear items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Items online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out inviting 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. Grandmother 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 plenty of time.
You can give it to a place like a Pine Glen Salvation Army. 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 Pine Glen kids place. However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Grandma 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 approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Collectibles.
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 Pine Glen 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 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 received 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 stuffed animal or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Pine Glen to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Pooh Items to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633