Donating Your Mom’s Pooh Items

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Oak Brook residence and not find Art, Trading Cards or a Pooh Bear collection.

Oak Brook baby-boomers loved collecting items.  The craze today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member passes away where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Paper Weights or Winnie the Pooh collectibles?

Selling Pooh Collection

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

Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging.  Grandmother may have paid $30 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 Pooh Collection

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

You could donate any plush to a Oak Brook 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 Mom 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 Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collection to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Many times I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the 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 Oak Brook  collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection.  Their items becomes part of history vs. being sold for a buck at a rummage sale.  I let them know I will showcase their donation of collectibles along with mine.  I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates Winnie the 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 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 stuffed animal or poster but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Oak Brook to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com