It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Mercer County home and not find Hummels, Trading Cards or a Pooh Bear collection.
Mercer County baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting things. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes away where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Books or Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating inviting 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 Mercer County Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’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 Mercer County 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.
Over the years I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Bear Collectibles.
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 Mercer County 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 collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the Pooh Items 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 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 mug or toy but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Mercer County to WI.
If you have a collection of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Pooh Collection to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633
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