Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Items

It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become a memory of the past.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Idlewild home and not find Comic Books, Trading Cards or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Idlewild baby-boomers took seriously collecting things.  The tendency today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector family member dies what do you do with their Art, Paper Weights or Pooh items?

Selling Pooh Bear Collection

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collectibles online.  Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating enticing 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.  Great Aunt 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 plenty of time.

Donate Winnie the Pooh Collection

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

You could donate any plush to a Idlewild 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 Grandmother’s Pooh Collectibles 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 Winnie the Pooh Collectibles. 

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 Idlewild  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 Bear 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 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 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 plush or book but you can’t put a value on happiness.

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

If you have collectibles of Pooh items to donate, feel free to message me and we can coordinate adding your Grandma’s Pooh Collection to history and the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com