Donating Your Grandma’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Hatch home and not find Stamps and Coins, Paper Weights or a Pooh Bear collection.

Hatch baby-boomers took seriously collecting things.  The inclination today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector family member passes away where do you go with their Art, Cookie Jars or Pooh Bear collection?

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 inviting 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.  Mom may have paid $80 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 Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Hatch 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 Great Aunt’s Pooh Bear Items to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Over the years I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept 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 Hatch  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 collection along with mine.  I consider their collectibles 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 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 collection.  You can put a price tag on a stuffed animal or poster but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Hatch to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com