It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Bennet residence and not find Comic Books, Snowglobes or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Bennet baby-boomers took seriously collecting things. The trend today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes away where do you go with their Hummels, Paper Weights or Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out enticing listing descriptions, locating 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. Grandmother may have paid $60 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 Bennet Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s adored collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Bennet 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 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 emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Collectibles.
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 Bennet 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 items 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 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 purchased 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 statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Bennet to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633