It seems like the interest of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Hawkins County residence and not find Hummels, Cookie Jars or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Hawkins County baby-boomers took seriously collecting things. The inclination these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Trading Cards or Winnie the Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up inviting 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. Grandmother may have paid $50 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 Hawkins County thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s well cared-for collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Hawkins 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 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.
Over the years I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Bear Collection.
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 Hawkins County 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 items along with mine. I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the Pooh Items 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 plush or statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating 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 Hawkins County 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 Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633
Crump | Olivet | Saltillo |
Savannah | Walnut Grove |