Teddy Bears
Although there are examples of soft toy bears or "bruins" that date from the very beginning of the 20th century, most true teddy bears are just over 100 years old. They owe their name to an incident in the life of one of America's most colourful Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. In 1902 a cartoon appeared in an American newspaper showing the President in the act of refusing to shoot a little bear cub while out hunting for sport. From that one tiny incident the soft toy bear was to get its new name Teddy's Bear, or as it later became Teddy Bear.
Unlike many other collectible toys, many old Teddy Bears will fetch a good price despite been in a distressed condition or "Well loved" as the auctioneers will describe them. Many have parts repaired, often with rough stitching and also show signs of baldness and wear. All this is accepted by teddy bear collectors as normal wear and tear. This is why well looked after teddy bears in fine to excellent condition fetch such high prices.
The most sought after teddy bears are those early ones with jointed legs and arms. Man of the first teddy bears to be manufactured were filled with wood pulp, which has now turned to sawdust through years of play, leaving the poor bear looking saggy and "unfilled" in places. Wool and sawdust were later used in the 1930's, followed by Kapok and eventually foam.
Many early bears will growl when turned on their back, this is because they were fitted with growler boxes that can be found stitched into their tummies. Other things to look out for are glass eyes, leather pads on the feet and gentle humps on their back just below their necks. Their snouts also became less pronounced with time and the more modern ones have much more rounded noses.
If by chance you find a teddy bear sporting a button in it's ear, you may have found one of those teddy bears prized by collectors and made by the German manufacturer "Stieff". Mint early example of these bears can fetch thousands.
See Also
Check out Vintage Teddy Bears for sale on Ebay auctions here!
