Donating Your Great Aunt’s Pooh Bear Collection

It seems like the love of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Hoonah place and not find Hummels, Books or a Pooh Bear collection.

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

So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative passes where do you go with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Trading Cards or Pooh Bear collectibles?

Selling Pooh Bear Collection

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items 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, handling returns on damaged items, etc. 

Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging.  Great Aunt may have paid $70 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 Bear Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Hoonah 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 Mom 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 Mom’s Winnie the Pooh Items 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 take Winnie the Pooh 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 Hoonah  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 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 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 collectibles.  You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or figurine but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays entact and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Hoonah to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com