It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Berkshire County home and not find Art, Vinyl Records or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Berkshire County baby-boomers took seriously collecting stuff. The movement today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes what do you do with their Hummels, Trading Cards or Pooh collectibles?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online. Some of the issues 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. Mother may have paid $90 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 Berkshire County Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Berkshire County kids place. However, many places only want 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 Pooh Collection.
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 Berkshire County 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 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a mug or pair of socks but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Berkshire County to WI.
If you have a collection of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Items to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633