It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Friendsville house and not find Stamps and Coins, Paper Weights or a Pooh Bear collection.
Friendsville baby-boomers were obsessed collecting things. The tendency today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Hummels, Cookie Jars or Pooh collectibles?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating attractive 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 $80 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 Friendsville thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s much-loved collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Friendsville 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 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 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 Friendsville 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 donated collection along with mine. I consider their collection 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 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or figurine but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Collectibles 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 Friendsville to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633