It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Crockett County home and not find Hummels, Snowglobes or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Crockett County baby-boomers took seriously collecting items. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative dies where do you go with their Precious Moments, Books or Winnie the Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Collection online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating attractive 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. Grandma may have paid $40 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 Crockett County thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s adored items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Crockett County kids place. However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Great Aunt 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 yes! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Crockett County 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 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 collection. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or jacket 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 grouped and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Crockett County to WI.
If you have collectibles of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Winnie the Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633
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