Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collectibles

It seems like the art of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s East Thomas Gardens house and not find Precious Moments, Paper Weights or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

East Thomas Gardens baby-boomers loved collecting stuff.  The tendency these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member dies what do you do with their Comic Books, Vinyl Records or Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Bear Collection

You could try to sell the Pooh Collectibles online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up enticing 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.  Great Aunt may have paid $70 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.

Donate Pooh Collectibles

You can give it to a place like a East Thomas Gardens Salvation Army.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s much-loved collection being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a East Thomas Gardens children’s place.  However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer.  Plus, your Grandma really took care of the plush and displayed them.  Some people have a hard time with a plush collectible becoming a plush child toy. 

Donate Your Mom’s Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Over the years I have been emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Bear Collectibles. 

My answer is absolutely!  I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”. 

If I am talking to the East Thomas Gardens  collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection.  Their collectibles 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 collection 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 family members.  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 stuffie or book but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Items 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 collectibles when traveling from East Thomas Gardens to Wisconsin. 

If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Items to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com