Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Items

It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Howard County house and not find Comic Books, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.

 

Howard County baby-boomers loved collecting items.  The craze today is to be a minimalist.

 

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

Selling Winnie the Pooh 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, writing attractive listing descriptions, figuring out 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.  Grandma 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 plenty of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Collectibles

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

 

You could donate any plush to a Howard County 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 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 Mom’s Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Over the years I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Collection. 

 

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

 

If I am talking to the Howard County  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 donation of collectibles along with mine.  I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.

 

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

 

By donating Pooh Bear Items 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 collection when traveling from Howard County to Wisconsin. 

 

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

 

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com