Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the pastime of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Eagle River home and not find Precious Moments, Snowglobes or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Eagle River baby-boomers were obsessed collecting stuff.  The tendency these days is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downscale or sadly when a collector family member passes where do you go with their Precious Moments, Vinyl Records or Pooh collectibles?

Selling Pooh Bear Collectibles

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collection online.  Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing inviting 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.  Mom may have paid $60 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 Collectibles

You can give it to a place like a Eagle River Goodwill.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mom’s treasured collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Eagle River kids 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 Great Aunt’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 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 Eagle River  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 collectibles 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 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 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 Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Eagle River to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com