It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Hummelstown house and not find Art, Trading Cards or a Pooh collection.
Hummelstown baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting stuff. The inclination these days 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, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Pooh Items online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating 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. Grandmother 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Hummelstown thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s beloved collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Hummelstown 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 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.
Over the years I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the 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 Hummelstown 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 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a stuffie or poster but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Hummelstown to WI.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to message me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633