It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become an activity of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s McCarthy home and not find Comic Books, Trading Cards or a Pooh collection.
McCarthy baby-boomers took seriously collecting items. The inclination these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes away what do you do with their Precious Moments, Cookie Jars or Pooh Bear collectibles?
You could try to sell the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating enticing 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 $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 a lot of time.
You can give it to a place like a McCarthy thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’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 McCarthy 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 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 contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Collection.
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 McCarthy 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 donation of collectibles along with mine. I consider their collection 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a stuffed animal or jacket 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 collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from McCarthy to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633