It seems like the interest of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Whiteland home and not find Precious Moments, Trading Cards or a Pooh collection.
Whiteland baby-boomers loved collecting items. The trend these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member passes away where do you go with their Hummels, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear collection?
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, thinking up enticing 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. Mother may have paid $100 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 Whiteland 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 Whiteland 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 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 approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Items.
My answer is with great excitement! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Whiteland collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their items 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 Pooh Bear 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 collection. You can put a price tag on a plush or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Whiteland to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Pooh Collection to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633