Donating Your Grandmother’s Winnie the Pooh Collection

It seems like the hobby of collecting may have become a memory of days gone by.  It used to be that you couldn’t visit someone’s Lenawee County house and not find Art, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.

 

Lenawee County baby-boomers took seriously collecting things.  The craze these days 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 Hummels, Paper Weights or Winnie the Pooh collection?

Selling Pooh Bear Items

You could try to sell the Pooh Items online.  Some of the difficulties you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up inviting 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 $100 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 Collectibles

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

 

You could donate any plush to a Lenawee County 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 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 take Pooh Bear Collectibles. 

 

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 Lenawee County  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 collectibles 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 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 collection.  You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.

 

By donating Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays grouped and the memories are still there too.  In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collection when traveling from Lenawee County to Wisconsin. 

 

If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Mom’s Pooh Bear Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.

 

Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633

Deb@MostPooh.com