It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Mendeltna place and not find Comic Books, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.
Mendeltna baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items. The movement these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative dies where do you go with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up 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 $90 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 Mendeltna Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s adored items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Mendeltna children’s place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Great Aunt 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 Mendeltna 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 collection along with mine. I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the 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 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 collectibles. 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 Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Mendeltna to WI.
If you have collectibles of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Winnie the Pooh Collectibles to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633