Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Balsam Lake home and not find Hummels, Vinyl Records or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Balsam Lake baby-boomers took seriously collecting items.  The movement these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member passes what do you do with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Books or Pooh Bear items?

Selling Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online.  Some of the hurdles 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.  Grandmother 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 Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Balsam Lake kids place.  However, many places only want 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 Mother’s Pooh Bear Collection 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 accept Winnie the Pooh Collectibles. 

My answer is yes!  I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”. 

If I am talking to the Balsam Lake  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 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 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 items.  You can put a price tag on a stuffie or poster 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 Balsam Lake to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com