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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to sell these golly badges?

106 replies

JammyGem · 23/01/2016 20:52

My DDad collected them when he was younger. He has a lot of them and knows I'm a bit hard up for money at the moment.

He gave me a massive box of them and said he didn't know why he'd kept them, but it had come up in conversation with a friend the other day and apparently some of them are worth a lot of money now. He gave me a box of them and said he wanted me to have them, to sell them on and get a bit of money for myself.

WIBU to sell them? I'm very grateful to my DDad but I'm aware of their racist symbolism and would feel a little uncomfortable profiting from it. I also wouldn't even know where to sell them anyway, eBay have banned them. It just makes me uncomfortable but to be honest I really do need the money at the moment.

OP posts:

starry0ne · 23/01/2016 21:54

I would sell them..Esp if you are so broke you are skipping meals.. As for in circulation do we pretend they didn't exist.. Lessons to learn..

elfycat · 23/01/2016 21:56

Gollywogs are most certainly are a relic from a bygone age though scooby. Or should we hunt every single one down and melt them so the whole era goes away?

Of course not. And they practically are museum pieces so of course people collect them in the same way people collect nazi-memorabelia. I'm not condoning racism (or the nazi movement) but I don't go around finding offence in things from a bygone era. There are a lot of things that belong in the past, but it is not silence in the form of removing all traces of things we don't like.

Sell them. Consider it a form of recycling.

CraftyMissus · 23/01/2016 21:56

If you father really doesn't want them, and neither do you, sell them.

I dont know if a museum would take them but there's no harm in asking a few. There are antiques and collectibles dealers who will pay for them, and collectors.

Even if you're not comfortable with the idea of a dealer or collector having them at least you would have the money. What they do with the items after is up to them, and if you do have a few rarities in there you could always use some of the money to make a donation to a charity.

Original poster

JammyGem · 23/01/2016 21:58

I shall look into selling to a museum, that is a good idea. At least that way they can be used to educate.

And to those saying all them on eBay, they've been banned so can no longer be sold there.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 23/01/2016 22:01

I don't think museums buy, they're more get stuff bought and then donated to them.

slebmum1 · 23/01/2016 22:04

I've just had a quick look on eBay there's a lot of books for sale.

You need money, I'd sell them.

NotnowNigel · 23/01/2016 22:07

this place has lots of advice

Just sell them OP, there's lots worse in the world.

apricotdanish · 23/01/2016 22:09

Scoobyloobyloo believe me I know through first hand experience what it is to experience racism and so I understand why they're abhorrent but people are now fully aware of what they represent. I don't believe the act of selling them will be encouraging or condoning racism. My concern is that the OP is skipping meals three days at a time on occasions, she needs to eat so she needs to sell them.

MargaretCabbage · 23/01/2016 22:10

They sell well at auction (though a lot of golly soft toys struggle, so I think a lot of the appeal is nostalgia for the brand if that help you feel less awful about them). I would sell them if you need the money.

Kirkenes · 23/01/2016 22:10

I'd try selling them. Look at THIS WEBSITE for an idea of prices.

lastqueenofscotland · 23/01/2016 22:12

As someone who in their early twenties was skipping meals and counldnt afford to put anything in the gas meter I'd sod the morals and sell them.

VashtaNerada · 23/01/2016 22:13

Sell them. I hate the bloody things but you shouldn't be skipping meals like that.

ouryve · 23/01/2016 22:15

I'd sell them without compunction.

What they represent is horrible, but is an important piece of history that won't be erased by throwing them away, but could well be conveniently "forgotten" if not enough of the evidence is preserved by people who want to do that (whatever their motives may be).

ouryve · 23/01/2016 22:16

Good grief, Kirkenes! That website is a blinding museum piece all on its own!

FellOutOfBedTwice · 23/01/2016 22:19

They're not Nazi memorabilia. I would sell them.

ReginaBlitz · 23/01/2016 22:19

eBay have banned selling golly stuff now donyouvwill struggle anyway. Plus the badges don't fetch much anyway.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 23/01/2016 22:21

Sell them
To a nice white supremacist !

MuttonDressedAsMutton · 23/01/2016 22:22

OP I sell on eBay for other people - and myself - and I can assure you that you can sell the badges on there. Mostly they're listed as 'Robertson's Badges' but anyone looking for them would easily find them. Just don't use the word Gollywog (pretty horrid word anyway - not nice to see) - but you definitely can sell them!

Viviennemary · 23/01/2016 22:23

Just sell them. It was people who decided they should be racist and racism wasn't the original idea.

OhShutUpThomas · 23/01/2016 22:27

Unbelievably or so I thought many local gift shops here in Wales sell golliwog can we even say that? dolls.

Like, new ones. Barrels full.

Not many people seem to think this is an issue. Quite reassured to see this thread actually, was beginning to think I was being overly PC.

OhShutUpThomas · 23/01/2016 22:28

racism wasn't the original idea.

It absolutely was.
It's just, racism wasn't something society st large had an issue with back then.

LadyStoicIsBack · 23/01/2016 22:32

Sell them. You need to eat. Don't feel bad at turning something that is pretty shitty into at least doing some good by putting food in your belly.

Whereabouts are you if you don't mind me asking OP and do you have any DC?

Viviennemary · 23/01/2016 22:43

I just don't think Robinsons said lets have these gollies and be racists. Nor did Enid Blyton think this way when she put them in the Noddy books. They became a symbol for racism but that wasn't what was intended. IMHO.

MistressMerryWeather · 23/01/2016 22:51

Enid Blyton has horrible racism all through her writing.

Apart from the badges have you had a look at what help you can get with the situation?

I was in a similar situation at the start of the year and had no idea how much help there was out there.

You shouldn't have to skip meals.

Original poster

JammyGem · 23/01/2016 23:16

With regards to the racism aspect - I remember loving them as a kid, never realising that they were supposed to be based on black people. I thought that they were just funny cute things, like the clangers or wombles or something. However I would never dream of defending them now I'm older and know the history behind them.

I think to be honest I can't afford to pass up the opportunity for a little extra money. I'll get in touch with some museums, but having worked in some myself, I imagine that unless they were already specifically looking for them, there won't be much luck. If that's the case, there's a couple of websites pointed out on here that I'll get in touch with.

LadyStoic I don't have any DC (not yet, can't afford ATM anyway), it's just me and DP. He supports me as best as he can but between the both of us it can still be a struggle to pay everything. We're in Berkshire.

OP posts:

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