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 Madison Heights residence and not find Comic Books, Paper Weights or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Madison Heights baby-boomers loved 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 passes away what do you do with their Stamps and Coins, Vinyl Records or Winnie the Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up 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. Grandma may have paid $40 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 lot of time.
You can give it to a place like a Madison Heights Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s beloved collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Madison Heights kids place. However, many places only want 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 accept Pooh Bear Collectibles.
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 Madison Heights collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their collectibles 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 collection as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the 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 stuffie or figurine 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 entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Madison Heights to WI.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633