It seems like the art of collecting may have become an activity of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Oakbrook Terrace house and not find Precious Moments, Trading Cards or a Pooh Bear collection.
Oakbrook Terrace baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items. The movement today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member dies where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Trading Cards or Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing appealing listing descriptions, figuring out 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 $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 plenty of time.
You can give it to a place like a Oakbrook Terrace Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s cherished items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Oakbrook Terrace kids 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 accept Pooh Bear 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 Oakbrook Terrace 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 collection 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 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 T-Shirt or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Oakbrook Terrace to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633