Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Helena home and not find Art, Cookie Jars or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Helena baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting things.  The trend today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector family member dies where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Books or Pooh Bear collectibles?

Selling Pooh Bear Items

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, thinking up enticing listing descriptions, figuring out 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.  Grandma 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 Pooh Collection

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

You could donate any plush to a Helena kids place.  However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer.  Plus, your Grandma 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 Grandma’s Pooh Items 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 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 Helena  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 collection 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 items.  You can put a price tag on a mug or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh 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 items when traveling from Helena to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com