It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become a memory of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Earle house and not find Precious Moments, Books or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Earle baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items. The tendency today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Art, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear items?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the difficulties 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, dealing with returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Mother 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 Earle Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s adored collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Earle 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.
Many times I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take 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 Earle 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 collection 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 collection. You can put a price tag on a plush 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 together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Earle to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to contact me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Collection to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633