Donating Your Great Aunt’s Pooh Collection

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 Vergennes home and not find Art, Cookie Jars or a Pooh collection.

Vergennes baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items.  The tendency these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector family member passes away where do you go with their Comic Books, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Items

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear 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, dealing with returns on damaged items, etc. 

Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging.  Mother may have paid $100 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 Collectibles

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

You could donate any plush to a Vergennes kids 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 Mother’s Winnie the Pooh Items 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 yes!  I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”. 

If I am talking to the Vergennes  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 collectibles 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 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 received 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 plush or toy but you can’t put a value on happiness.

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

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com