It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Little Prairie place and not find Comic Books, Paper Weights or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Little Prairie baby-boomers took seriously collecting stuff. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Books or Winnie the Pooh collectibles?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating enticing 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. 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Little Prairie Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s adored collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Little Prairie 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 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.
Many times I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Bear 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 Little Prairie 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 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 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 mug or pair of socks but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear 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 collection when traveling from Little Prairie to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Winnie the Pooh Items to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633