It seems like the art of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Waverly place and not find Art, Vinyl Records or a Pooh collection.
Waverly baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting stuff. The inclination today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector family member dies what do you do with their Comic Books, Trading Cards or Pooh Bear collection?
You could try to sell the Pooh Collection online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out attractive 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 $30 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 Waverly Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s adored items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Waverly 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 Mother 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 contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh 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 Waverly 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 items along with mine. I consider their collectibles 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 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 statue 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 collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Waverly to WI.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633