How/Where do I donate an elephant figurine collection?

November 18, 2020 2:11 PM

My mom has a pretty decent sized collection of elephant figures and assorted objects from the 50s-00s. In preparation for when she passes, I need to start thinking of how to donate/sell this thing...

My main concern is somehow finding it a home that makes sense. A library, archive, animal rights group would probably be good.

I would also like to make money off this if possible, but that's less important to me than having a good steward of it.

One kink in this is that some of the items were carved of ivory (I believe all was before the ivory ban; I don't believe any of those few items things were illegally gotten. And of course we morally know it's wrong. Because of the ivory issue, I imagine I should consult a lawyer on this? I don't think it's legal to sell those? But maybe to an organization who is dedicated to something like elephant rights/caretaking it's allowed to donate? IDK. If we have to break away the ivory from the rest, I'm ok with that. I don't want to increase any trade in ivory.

So basically I'm just wondering if anyone's dealt with something similar? I don't want to just go to some auctioneer who might sell it to a party who really isn't interested in keeping it intact and unified and might just package the bits to ebay.

Appreciate any thoughts/clues how to proceed on this both for the ivory issue (I assume consult a lawyer will be the answer there) and who to donate to/which orgs may have an interest in this collection.

posted by symbioid to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

Best answer: Archives generally do not want collections of objects that don’t have “record” quality. So a collection of knick knacks would not generally qualify, but a collection of political election pins might. Unless you happen upon an archive that appears to specialize in taking large collections of figurines, please do not put archivists in the position of having to tell you we don’t want your family’s stuff. We do this all the time but it always makes me feel like a jerk to have to break it to someone that their family members collection probably has very little research value.

I am a professional archivist and when I dealt with cleaning out my dads condo when he went to assisted living I ended up trashing probably 99% of his things. I took what was special to me, gave away stuff to friends, and called in a dumpster service to do the rest.

You are right that perhaps the ivory figurines are worth something, but this is why services like Everything But The House exist.
posted by mostly vowels at 2:18 PM on November 18, 2020 [10 favorites]

My mother is an antique dealer. I don't think anyone will want the collection. What I would do is sell the pieces on eBay/Etsy/your choice and then donate the proceeds, if you wish, to an elephant-related entity. Do it yourself so that you don't have to pay a middleman anything.
posted by 8603 at 2:21 PM on November 18, 2020 [8 favorites]

This Fish and Wildlife Service page explains what can be done with ivory.
posted by pinochiette at 2:30 PM on November 18, 2020 [3 favorites]

Let the people who attend her funeral each choose one to take home as a memento of your mother. If there's a meal following the celebration, you could put one at each place setting. People will trade them and it will be a nice way for strangers to share memories of her.
posted by carmicha at 2:52 PM on November 18, 2020 [47 favorites]

Elephants are the symbol of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. The national, or a local, chapter would probably love to have your mother's collection.
posted by DrGail at 2:53 PM on November 18, 2020 [8 favorites]

Ebay does not allow the sale of ivory and neither does Etsy. Many online sellers try to skirt around the rules by listing ivory items as "Faux bone" or some similarly vague description, such listings are highly likely to be removed or have any transaction reversed. As per pinochiette's link, you can give it away which is a good way to suppress demand for new ivory.

Charities which accept donations are unlikely to want something they can't sell.
posted by Lanark at 2:58 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

I don't want to just go to some auctioneer who might sell it to a party who really isn't interested in keeping it intact and unified and might just package the bits to ebay.

Why not? Your mother created an enjoyed her collection. If you don't want the collection for yourself, why not let it get scattered? I'm not trying to be mean about it, but maybe do some digging into why you want to keep the collection intact.
posted by hydra77 at 3:43 PM on November 18, 2020 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Everything decays, why not this. thanks all, i'm just gonna get rid of it then.
posted by symbioid at 4:40 PM on November 18, 2020

One person has been modestly successful with sharing and enjoying their elephant collection, however it’s waaay more labor than you want: Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium in PA. Details at mistereds.com. The people that run the place (not the ones selling candy) might know a thing or two about options.
posted by childofTethys at 5:08 PM on November 18, 2020 [6 favorites]

I had a friend with a little resale store who inherited a large elephant collection. I bought a number of them and used them as prizes in small competitions in my English classes. My students loved their elephants. Some of them I smuggled with me into parties and left in incongruous places in the hosts' homes. The people would have parties years later, and I'd check and find that they'd kept their elephants. Elephant figurines bring joy.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:12 PM on November 18, 2020 [10 favorites]

If you decide to sell any of them on eBay, take note that in addition to Delta Sigma Theta, an elephant is the mascot for the University of Alabama football team ... Bama fans might be another market of interested buyers.
posted by mccxxiii at 10:01 PM on November 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

Elephants are also a thing at Texas A&M. I know an Aggie who received elephant figurines and jewellery as gifts around the time of her Elephant Walk.
posted by neushoorn at 12:42 AM on November 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

You can imbue each elephant with your good vibes as you send it out to its new owner! That's what I tried to do when I had to sell a bunch of stuff I didn't want to sell. Think of the new person, the place they live, and how much they will enjoy the new arrival. You can even include a little note in memory of your mom on the packing slip.
posted by 8603 at 2:00 AM on November 19, 2020

Early in the pandemic, we found an elephant in the trash. We put it right outside our yard. We found that all the neighborhood kids loved it and started leaving cheerios and toys near it on their walks. Until someone stole it.

My point is, people love elephants, and I know that *I* am looking for another one...if you let this collection go, more people will add to their collection, and that's pretty beautiful.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:04 AM on November 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

My stepmom collected flamingoes and when she died my dad set up some tables at her memorial service with her hundreds of flamingoes on them and asked everyone who attended to please take at least one to remember her by.

I got a soap dish.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:00 AM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]