It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Ashland home and not find Precious Moments, Vinyl Records or a Pooh Bear collection.
Ashland baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting things. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Art, Trading Cards or Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Items online. Some of the issues 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, handling returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Grandma 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Ashland Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s adored collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Ashland 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 Grandmother 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 approached 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 Ashland 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 donated items 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 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 collection. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Collectibles 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 Ashland 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 Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633