Donating Your Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collectibles

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s French Lick home and not find Hummels, Vinyl Records or a Pooh Bear collection.

French Lick baby-boomers took seriously collecting stuff.  The movement today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member passes where do you go with their Hummels, Paper Weights or Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Bear Items

You could try to sell the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating enticing 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 a significant amount of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Collection

You can give it to a place like a French Lick Salvation Army.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s cherished collection being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a French Lick kids place.  However, many places only accept 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 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 take Winnie the Pooh Collectibles. 

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 French Lick  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 donated items along with mine.  I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 toy but you can’t put a value on happiness.

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

If you have a collection of Winnie the Pooh 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 Winnie the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com