It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of the past. It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s New London place and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Paper Weights or a Pooh collection.
New London baby-boomers loved collecting stuff. The trend today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector relative dies where do you go with their Hummels, Paper Weights or Winnie the Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating inviting 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 $80 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 New London thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a New London kids place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Mom 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 emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the 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 New London 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 items 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or jewelry 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 collection when traveling from New London to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Pooh Bear Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633