Donating Your Grandmother’s Pooh Collectibles

It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Ames home and not find Stamps and Coins, Books or a Pooh collection.

Ames baby-boomers took seriously collecting things.  The trend these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to cut back or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh items?

Selling Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items online.  Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing attractive 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 $90 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 lot of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Collection

You can give it to a place like a Ames Goodwill.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandmother’s treasured collection being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Ames 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 Great Aunt’s Pooh Bear Collectibles 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 accept Pooh Bear Collection. 

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 Ames  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 items as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates 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 family members.  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 stuffie or poster 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 collector wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Ames to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com