Donating Your Grandma’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the art of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Minocqua home and not find Comic Books, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.

Minocqua baby-boomers were obsessed collecting items.  The inclination these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector family member passes where do you go with their Stamps and Coins, Paper Weights or Pooh items?

Selling Pooh Collectibles

You could try to sell the Pooh Items online.  Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up enticing 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.  Great Aunt may have paid $30 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 Collection

You can give it to a place like a Minocqua Salvation Army.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s adored collection being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Minocqua 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 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 Bear Collection to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Many times I have been emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the 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 Minocqua  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 items along with mine.  I consider their items as THEIR collection in my database.

When someone donates 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 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 T-Shirt or jacket but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating 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 items when traveling from Minocqua to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com