Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Items

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 Watertown home and not find Art, Vinyl Records or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Watertown baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting things.  The trend today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector relative passes what do you do with their Art, Paper Weights or Pooh Bear items?

Selling Pooh Bear Items

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Items online.  Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out inviting listing descriptions, locating 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.  Mom may have paid $90 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 Watertown Salvation Army.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Mother’s treasured collection being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Watertown 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 Mother’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 Pooh Collection. 

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

If I am talking to the Watertown  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 donation of collectibles along with mine.  I consider their collection 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 items.  You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or pair of socks 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 entact and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Watertown to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com