It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Watertown place and not find Precious Moments, Books or a Pooh collection.
Watertown baby-boomers were obsessed collecting stuff. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Hummels, Trading Cards or Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Pooh Items online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out appealing listing descriptions, figuring out 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 $30 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 Watertown Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s treasured collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Watertown kids 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 approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Winnie the Pooh 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 Watertown 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 collection along with mine. I consider their collection 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 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 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 mug or figurine but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Items 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 collectibles when traveling from Watertown to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633