Donating Your Mom’s Pooh Collection

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

Crawford Crossing baby-boomers took seriously collecting stuff.  The craze today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative dies where do you go with their Precious Moments, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Collection

You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collection online.  Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, figuring out 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.  Grandma 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 significant amount of time.

Donate Pooh Bear Items

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

You could donate any plush to a Crawford Crossing 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 Great Aunt 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 Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection & Make It Part of History

Over the years I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Bear Collectibles. 

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 Crawford Crossing  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 Winnie the 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 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 stuffed animal or statue 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 items when traveling from Crawford Crossing to WI. 

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

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com