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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 24/01/2016 15:22

If I was skipping meals I'd sell them to the highest bidder - morals would go out of the window I'm afraid.

Good luck OP, I hope things improve for you soon Flowers

Original poster
JammyGem · 24/01/2016 16:52

I got in touch with one of my ex colleagues today who still works for a museum. He told me that it's not likely I'd sell them to a museum - they're common enough that museums that require them can gain them through donations, and that unless it's a very speciality item, most museums have to go through auctions etc.rather than private sellers anyway. Which is what I expected, but I still hoped he'd tell me different!

I'm going to look at eBay. I'm just worried that you're not supposed to sell them on there. Does anyone know if eBay will ban you if you attempt to? I sell a few bits on eBay every now and then to get by and wouldn't want to lose my account.

OP posts:
JessieMcJessie · 24/01/2016 17:10

Someone up thread posted a link to a website that said "Badges wanted"- why not enquire there ?

IoraRua · 24/01/2016 17:13

Definitely sell them. They're collector items, reflecting something from the past.
Museums have all kinds of horrible items from the past, this is no different.
Hope things start looking up for you soon.

southwest1 · 24/01/2016 18:42

There's a Christmas one on eBay at the moment that's currently at £15, so you obviously can sell them on there.

Scaredycat3000 · 24/01/2016 18:46

You could try an auction house. Selling single badges however you do that will be very time consuming, though possibly the most profitable, you don't sound happy with breaking ebay rules. Or ask around some local Antique shops/centers. Hopefully they can advise, some do a sell and take a commission or might know a dealer that would buy the lot. I suspect my local 'trading post' would love to sell those for you, but are often full.

Howdoesironmanwee · 24/01/2016 18:52

They're definitely racist. I'm always perplexed when people can't see that, but then white privilege is blinding.

I wouldn't be able to sell them. But if the op wants to, it's up to her.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 24/01/2016 19:02

OP can't afford to eat but has something she could possibly sell. Would people who are saying they couldn't sell them really go without food and just bin them?

thedancingbear · 24/01/2016 19:03

I think it's to the OP's credit that she's thinking about the morality of selling the things, given the circumstances.

I think gollies and what they symbolise are horrible, but if it literally meant the difference between eating and not eating, I'd sell them in a heartbeat.

thenightsky · 24/01/2016 19:11

My mum owned an SS dagger... given to her by a german man a few years after the war. It was always wrapped up in a thick towel and buried in her bottom dressing table drawer. She only showed it to me once.

She advertised it for sale in the end as she 'hated the bloody thing'. This was around the late 60s.

A collector came from miles away and gave her (what was then) a considerable amount of money. She spent that money on us kids... a frivolous trip to the seaside with a slap up meal. This was at at time when our family was extremely poor. Think holes in shoes and charity shop clothes only.

Sell your gollies and spend the money on what is important to you NOW!

tootiredtoknow · 24/01/2016 19:49

They're definitely racist. I'm always perplexed when people can't see that, but then white privilege is blinding.

You remind me of a colleague of mine. She turns her nose up at people homeless in the street but has took time off to go and help migrants coming into Greece. This woman can barely feed herself and you refer to white privilege! Wow, just wow. I don't even know what to say to you!

Howdoesironmanwee · 24/01/2016 20:00

I didn't say she shouldn't sell them this comment was directed at posters stating that they don't consider gollies to be racist.

Lockheart · 24/01/2016 20:24

There is a huge market for black memorabilia and Americana. Regardless of the connotations, many collectors are from African or Afro-American backgrounds and see it as part of their history. Just like there's a big market for WW2 memorabilia. People like Oprah and Spike Lee have massive collections.

We have a number of dealers in the shop who occasionally have things such as mammy figures or Aunt Jemima / Uncle Mose things, and they're always very popular. I say sell them!

AllTheMadmen · 24/01/2016 20:52

Op I came on here thinking you were in one of those enid blyton shops selling them etc

In your situation I would sell them yes.

Perhaps the enid blyton shop in corfe castle?

I do not like them at all, and i totally get their offense but in your situation, sell.

AllTheMadmen · 24/01/2016 20:54

jammy

can you simply ask ebay ???? before you try> and look for other sellers?

if not try the enid blyton shops, musuems....places round studland beach way..

iminshock · 25/01/2016 21:52

Don't think twice.
Sell them.

rosewithoutthorns · 25/01/2016 21:55

Sell them OP they are part of history and only a doll at the end of the day, the people that make a big deal about this sort of thing are the ones in the wrong.

WhereYouLeftIt · 26/01/2016 00:58

Robertson's jams used to be a Paisley firm, I can remember they had a display of advertising, badges etc. at the Paisley Museum & Art Galleries. Since it's part of local industrial history, I'd imagine they'd still display them. But I think they'd have quite a large stock of badges and may not be interested in purchasing more. Still, might be worth checking with them if you want to sell to a museum.

www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/paisley-museum-and-art-galleries-p254901

I googled 'robertson jam badges collectors' and several sites came up, they may give you an idea of the values of particular badges, and some of the sites also bought badges. They might be worth looking through.

Adarajames · 26/01/2016 03:29

Dont worry op, if you list something on ebay they arent happy with, they email you and take it down, but you don't get into any trouble unless you repeatedly post the same thing after they taken it do and told you why

Vicmal89 · 18/11/2018 12:46

Hi I appreciate this thread is quite old but are you still looking to sell the badges. Very interested Grin

Poloshot · 18/11/2018 12:49

Why wouldn't you sell them if they're worth a few quid.

Eliza9917 · 18/11/2018 12:55

Don't listen to the handwringers on here op. They aren't the ones missing meals due to lack of money.

Sell the badges for as much as you can get, they could possibly sell better in America? I don't know if that's the case. But don't feel guilty.

Vixxxy · 18/11/2018 13:43

Yes, sell for sure. I would if in your situation. If I was comfortably well off I would bun them though I think.

brizzledrizzle · 18/11/2018 13:49

Sell them, it's not like you are selling them to fund a luxury holiday.
How are people going to learn about the mistakes of the past if all of the evidence is destroyed?

I have a copy of Little Black Sambo from when I was a child, clearly it's not considered appropriate these days but I used it with my children when we were discussing the rights and wrongs of things from the past. Some things should be acknowledged and discussed and not swept under the carpet.

NewPapaGuinea · 18/11/2018 13:51

There should be a zombie thread warning before wasting time reading 2 year old posts.