Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Pine Grove house and not find Hummels, Cookie Jars or a Pooh collection.

Pine Grove baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items.  The movement today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to cut back or sadly when a collector family member passes what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Vinyl Records or Pooh collectibles?

Selling Winnie the Pooh Items

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, creating attractive 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 $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 plenty of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Pine Grove 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 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 Grandma’s Pooh Items 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 Items. 

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 Pine Grove  collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection.  Their collection 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 collection 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 items.  You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or statue but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh 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 collectibles when traveling from Pine Grove to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com