Donating Your Mom’s Winnie the Pooh Items

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 Centre Hall residence and not find Art, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.

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

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

Selling Winnie the Pooh Collectibles

You could try to sell the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating appealing 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.  Grandmother 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 Winnie the Pooh Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Centre Hall children’s place.  However, many places only accept 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 Great Aunt’s Pooh Collection to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Over the years I have been contacted by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Collection. 

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 Centre Hall  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 donation of collectibles along with mine.  I consider their collectibles 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 collectibles.  You can put a price tag on a mug or toy 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 collectibles when traveling from Centre Hall to Wisconsin. 

If you have a collection of Pooh Bear items to donate, feel free to email me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Items to history and the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com