It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Choctaw home and not find Comic Books, Paper Weights or a Pooh Bear collection.
Choctaw baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items. The tendency today 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 Comic Books, Paper Weights or Winnie the Pooh collectibles?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online. Some of the difficulties 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, handling returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Great Aunt 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 lot of time.
You can give it to a place like a Choctaw Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s cherished collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Choctaw children’s place. However, many places only want 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 approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take 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 Choctaw 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 donation of collectibles along with mine. I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates 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 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 T-Shirt or toy 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 relative wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Choctaw to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633