Donating Your Great Aunt’s Winnie the Pooh Items

It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by.  It used to be that you couldn’t go into someone’s Troy Center residence and not find Art, Trading Cards or a Winnie the Pooh collection.

Troy Center baby-boomers were obsessed collecting stuff.  The craze today is to be a minimalist.

So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative dies what do you do with their Art, Vinyl Records or Pooh Bear items?

Selling Winnie the Pooh Items

You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collection online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up enticing listing descriptions, locating 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.  Mother may have paid $80 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 Collection

You can give it to a place like a Troy Center Goodwill.  They will take it.  However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s much-loved items being separated and sold for .99 cents.  The plush could become a dog toy.

You could donate any plush to a Troy Center 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 Mother 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 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 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 Troy Center  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 items along with mine.  I consider their items 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 stuffed animal or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.

By donating Winnie the Pooh 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 Troy Center to WI. 

If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to reach out to me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Pooh Collectibles to history and the Pooh Museum.

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com