Donating Your Grandma’s Pooh Bear Items

It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Maumelle home and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Snowglobes or a Pooh Bear collection.

Maumelle baby-boomers loved collecting things.  The tendency these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Art, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?

Selling Winnie the Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing appealing 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.  Mom may have paid $90 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 significant amount of time.

Donate Winnie the Pooh Collection

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

You could donate any plush to a Maumelle kids 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 Mother’s Pooh Collectibles 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 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 Maumelle  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 collection along with mine.  I consider their collection as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 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 collection.  You can put a price tag on a stuffed animal or book but you can’t put a value on happiness.

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

If you have a collection of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collection to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com