It seems like the interest of collecting may have become a memory of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Northway Village home and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Snowglobes or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Northway Village baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting items. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to cut back or sadly when a collector family member passes away what do you do with their Hummels, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear collectibles?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collection online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out 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. Great Aunt may have paid $60 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 Northway Village Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s well cared-for collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Northway Village kids place. However, many places only accept 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 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 Northway Village 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 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 items. You can put a price tag on a stuffed animal or toy but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear 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 collection when traveling from Northway Village to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633