Donating Your Great Aunt’s Pooh Bear Collection

It seems like the art of collecting may have become a memory of yesterday.  It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Vale Summit place and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Vinyl Records or a Pooh Bear collection.

Vale Summit baby-boomers were obsessed collecting stuff.  The movement today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector family member passes what do you do with their Precious Moments, Trading Cards or Pooh Bear collectibles?

Selling Winnie the Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Pooh Items online.  Some of the issues 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.  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 plenty of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Items

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

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

Over the years I have been emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Winnie the Pooh Items. 

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 Vale Summit  collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection.  Their collectibles 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 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 stuffie or statue 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 relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Vale Summit to Wisconsin. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com