10 unusual donations to British Heart Foundation charity shops
Howard Lake | 3 July 2014 | News
The British Heart Foundation receives some very peculiar donations at its shops across the UK, mixed in with the usual unwanted but good quality items Britons hand over.
Here is their top 10 of most unusual donated items which they listed and sold on their BHF eBay store. And these just cover the past three months!
The eBay store can present items to a much larger audience than individual BHF stores, and is used to try to maximise the income from unusual or rare objects.
1. Ventriloquist Dummy – £670
Ventriloquist’s dummy donated to a British Heart Foundation shop
A vintage professional ventriloquist doll donated to the Headingly BHF shop in Leeds fetched £670 when sold on the BHF eBay store. The body of the dummy was constructed using a metal cage with a string mechanism to control the upper lip, mouth and eyes. The handmade wooden puppet was bought by the son of a collector, after his father died, to help raise money for the charity.
2. Custard Powder Tin – £107
Custard powder tin donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold by the charity on eBay
A vintage Home & Colonial Stores Ltd. custard powder tin donated to the Cambridge BHF shop was sold on the eBay store for £107, rising from a starting price of £4.99, after six people placed competitive bids on it. The tin originated from the early 20th century and became a collector’s item, even though it wasn’t in perfect condition.
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3. Sovereign Coin – £220.89
Sovereigh coin donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold by the charity on eBay
Bearing the head of Edward VII, a 22ct gold sovereign coin from 1905 was sold for £220.89 on the BHF eBay store. Donated to the Portslade BHF shop in East Sussex, the rare coin was manufactured in Perth in the early 20th century and weighed 8.01g.
4. Fish Ornament – £555
Salmon fish ornament donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold by the charity on eBay
A Royal Copenhagen 5456 Salmon Fish ornament was sold for £555 on the BHF eBay store, after being donated to the Sevenoaks BHF shop. The porcelain figurine had a starting price of £9.99 and in just ten days had smashed the £500 mark thanks to five keen bidders.
5. Vivienne Westwood Corset – £123.99
Vivienne Westwood corset donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
A rare Vivienne Westwood brown leather corset basque top from 1991, which was included in Chertsey Museum’s An Image of Itself exhibition, raised £123.99 for the BHF. Made from 100% leather with an oriental print lining, the structured boned corset was originally donated to the Formby BHF shop.
6. Military Medals – £190
Military tin and medals donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
When an ‘Imperium Britannicum’ military tin, issued to soldiers in 1914 to hold their personal effects, was donated to the Crewe BHF Furniture & Electrical store, the team were amazed to discover it contained a collection of 19 military medals from World Wars One and Two. The badges, awarded to a range of different people, sold for a total of £190 with the tin.
7. Cornet – £1,953
Cornet donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
A tarnished cornet with dents and scratches that was donated to a BHF shop in Staffordshire was almost thrown out before a volunteer realised it was a rare item made by Distin & Co., a celebrated 19th Century British brass instrument manufacturer. Although it was damaged, the instrument still worked well and the price rose from £4.99 to £1,953 in just seven days.
8. Collection of real bugs and insects – £205
Bugs and insects donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
A comprehensive set of 1-69 Real Life Bugs & Insects magazines, complete with preserved insects and display cases, was more valuable than the Hull BHF shop originally thought, when it sold for £205. Each magazine, published in association with the Natural History Museum, came with a preserved insect and aimed to teach children everything about the insect world.
9. Pocket Watch – £720
Pocket watch donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
Having been donated to the Liverpool BHF shop, a Walthams 18ct gold pocket watch from 1918 sold for £720 online. The vintage watch, which was in good working order, featured an inscription on the reverse saying “Presented to William Wigglesworth by Samuel Heap & Son, Ltd. In appreciation of 31 years faithful service. Rochdale. August 1918”.
10. Baby Grand Piano – £870
A Baby Grand Piano donated to a British Heart Foundation shop and sold via eBay
Donated to the Wandsworth BHF Furniture & Electrical store, a 19th century John Broadwood & Sons baby grand piano fetched £870 for the BHF. In full working order, the antique attracted bids from eight people.
Andrew Shaw, BHF eBay Manager, said: “It’s amazing what people donate to BHF shops. When staff spot high-value and unique items, they send them over to us and we list them on eBay. This means we not only get the best price for the rare and beautiful items, but that these objects are available to many more people than they would be if they were just sold in the shop they were donated to”.
[message_box title=”The oddest donation of them all?” color=”blue”]
African pygmy hedgehog donated by mistake to a BHF shop
An African pygmy hedgehog, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, was once accidentally donated to the Walthamstow BHF shop after hiding in a donation bag along with clothes, books and shoes. Once the team realised, it was handed over to the South Essex Wildlife Trust.[/message_box]
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.