Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of the past.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Washington Heights home and not find Precious Moments, Trading Cards or a Pooh Bear collection.

Washington Heights baby-boomers took seriously collecting items.  The trend these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to cut back or sadly when a collector family member dies where do you go with their Precious Moments, Cookie Jars or Pooh collectibles?

Selling Winnie the Pooh Items

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the hurdles 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, handling returns on damaged items, etc. 

Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging.  Mom may have paid $50 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.

Donate Pooh Collection

You can give it to a place like a Washington Heights Goodwill.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s beloved items being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Washington Heights children’s place.  However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer.  Plus, your Grandmother 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 Collection to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Many times I have been emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Bear Items. 

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 Washington Heights  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 collection along with mine.  I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates Pooh Collectibles 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 mug or statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Washington Heights to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com