It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Curran house and not find Hummels, Snowglobes or a Pooh collection.
Curran baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to cut back or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Precious Moments, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear collectibles?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online. Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up attractive listing descriptions, figuring out 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. Mom 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 plenty of time.
You can give it to a place like a Curran Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s adored collection being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Curran kids 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.
Many times I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Bear Items.
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 Curran 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 collectibles 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 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 plush or toy but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Curran to WI.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to message me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633