Donating Your Great Aunt’s Pooh Collectibles

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

Smith baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting items.  The inclination today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Collectibles

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing appealing 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.  Grandma may have paid $40 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 Collectibles

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

You could donate any plush to a Smith 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 Mom’s Pooh Bear Items 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 Smith  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 Winnie the 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 collection.  You can put a price tag on a stuffed animal or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Winnie the Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Smith to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com