Donating Your Grandmother’s Pooh Bear Collection

It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of the past.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Salem home and not find Salt and Pepper Shakers, Books or a Pooh collection.

Salem baby-boomers were obsessed collecting things.  The craze 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 Art, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collectibles?

Selling Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating attractive 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 $50 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 Collection

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

You could donate any plush to a Salem children’s place.  However, many places only accept 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 Mom’s Pooh 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 Pooh Bear Collection. 

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 Salem  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 collectibles 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 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 plush 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 together and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Salem to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com