Donating Your Grandma’s Pooh Bear Collection

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of the past.  It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Lakeshore Gardens house and not find Comic Books, Snowglobes or a Pooh Bear collection.

Lakeshore Gardens baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting things.  The craze these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes away what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Paper Weights or Pooh Bear collectibles?

Selling Pooh Collectibles

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online.  Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out inviting 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.  Great Aunt 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 significant amount of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Items

You can give it to a place like a Lakeshore Gardens Salvation Army.  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 Lakeshore Gardens 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 Great Aunt 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 Collectibles 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 Winnie the Pooh Items. 

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 Lakeshore Gardens  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 collection as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates Pooh Bear 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 statue 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 together and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Lakeshore Gardens to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com