It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Rockingham County home and not find Comic Books, Books or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Rockingham County baby-boomers were obsessed collecting things. The movement these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Comic Books, Cookie Jars or Pooh Bear collectibles?
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, writing inviting 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. Grandma 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 Rockingham County Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s cherished collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Rockingham 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 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.
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 Rockingham 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 donation of collectibles along with mine. I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates 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 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or pair of socks but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear 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 Rockingham County 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 Mother’s Winnie the Pooh Items to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633