It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s East Ellsworth home and not find Comic Books, Paper Weights or a Pooh Bear collection.
East Ellsworth baby-boomers loved collecting stuff. The inclination these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector family member passes away what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear collectibles?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing appealing listing descriptions, locating 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. Mom may have paid $70 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 East Ellsworth thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s adored items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a East Ellsworth children’s place. However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Mom 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 contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Bear Collection.
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 East Ellsworth 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 items along with mine. I consider their collectibles 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 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 mug or book but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from East Ellsworth to WI.
If you have a collection of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633