Donating Your Mother’s Pooh Items

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Germantown place and not find Comic Books, Books or a Pooh Bear collection.

Germantown baby-boomers loved collecting things.  The inclination these days is to be a minimalist.

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

Selling Pooh Bear Collectibles

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items online.  Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out inviting 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.  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 Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Germantown kids place.  However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer.  Plus, your Mother 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 Bear Items 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 Bear 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 Germantown  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 items 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 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 T-Shirt or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Germantown 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 Grandma’s Pooh Bear Collectibles to history and the Winnie the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com