It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s La Pointe residence and not find Comic Books, Vinyl Records or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
La Pointe baby-boomers loved collecting items. 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 Precious Moments, Paper Weights or Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collectibles online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing 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. Grandmother may have paid $60 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 La Pointe Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a La Pointe 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 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.
Many times I have been emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Bear 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 La Pointe 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 collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 poster but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from La Pointe to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Pooh Collection to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633