Collecting teddy bears!

Collecting teddy bears has been a lifelong passion for me. My father bought me my first teddy when I was 3 weeks old, as a gift for my first Christmas. The bear was named Joshua by my parents and he can be accredited with starting my teddy bear collection!

Over the years I have acquired many, many gorgeous collectors' bears made by well-known and respected manufacturers and also by some lesser-known teddy bear artists. I don't just collect one type of bear; I have quite a diverse collection. However, the majority of my bears are by Steiff, which is the most well known teddy bear company in the world. I am fortunate enough to have acquired some very early Steiff bears, dating from c.1906, c.1907, c.1908 and c.1915 (with provenance). In addition to these vintage bears I have also bought some English vintage bears, one c.1930s by Chad Valley and another c.1950s, possibly by Pedigree. My preference is for very early teddies, pre-1920, but these are becoming increasingly difficult to come by at reasonable prices!

Obviously the vast majority of my collection consists of modern bears. I have a few Dean's bears, a few miniature bears by Deb Canham, some Hermann miniatures, some Merrythought bears (Joshua is one!) and I have lots of modern Steiff bears. I also have a number of artist bears, including some by Bears of Grace, two commissioned Humble Crumble bears by Victoria Allum and some others by various artists that either didn't make it big or just aren't around anymore!

I find that it's not necessarily who made a bear that makes it attractive as a potential purchase - it's the bear's face and character that matter. If a bear does not 'speak' to me or pull on my heart-strings, I can't buy it. This is a good thing, because with any collection there is absolutely no point in collecting something you don't like. Yes, with teddy bears (more-so the vintage ones) you are likely to see an increase in its value over the years, but the market can go both ways so you are best off buying bears you like so that if they don't gain value, or even if they lose value, you won't be too disappointed. I think of my bears as being an investment but don't buy them with the intention of selling them. This might not make sense, but what I mean is that I buy them knowing I could sell them if I needed to - and I hope that I won't have to!

As far as vintage bears go, the ones that fetch the highest prices tend to be those that are in fantastic condition (if you find one in original condition which still has its manufacturer's label, it will be worth a lot!) However, if a bear is rare, it will fetch a high price even if it's not in mint condition. The first mega-expensive Steiff bear sold at auction was a red one named Alfonzo, which belonged to the Russian princess Xenia. Alfonzo, c.1908, is the only known surviving red bear of a batch consisting of 12 red and 12 blue bears. His history (provenance) also played a part in the price he sold for (£12,500 in 1989).
Since then, there have been many teddies sold for record-breaking prices. The most expensive was sold for £110,000 in 1994. Yes, you read that correctly. This is an exception to the rule, however - no other teddy bear has sold for more in the 13 years since that auction. It does show, however that vintage teddy bears have become exceptionally sought after. The famous auction house, Christies, holds two sales a year devoted to teddy bears. While some absolutely amazing mint-condition teddies always turn up at these auctions, and fetch very high prices, there will always be some well-loved old bears for sale - it's possible to get a bargain!

The wonderful thing about collecting teddy bears is that you can have lots of fun finding appropriate accessories and clothing for them. Some collectors prefer not to dress their bears, but in the case of vintage bears which may be rather fragile, it is often necessary to protect the bear from any further damage. If vintage bears are dressed in outfits reflecting their age they can look very fetching. For larger bears, vintage childrens' clothing - for example christening gowns - can look really effective. It is all down to personal choice, however. Each collector has their own ideas about how to display their bears!

If space is a problem, it can be nice to collect miniature bears. These are often (but not always!) cheaper than larger bears. I have noticed that the tiny "soldier" bears, made by Farnell, seem to be enjoying rising popularity at the moment. They were made in blond mohair as well as the patriotic colours of red, white and blue and were often given to soldiers going to war (WW1) as mascots. They are usually 3.5" tall, so a collection of bears like this wouldn't take up a lot of space! I personally think it's nice to have bears of varying sizes as they look lovely when they're displayed together - a large bear can have a few smaller bears sitting on and around him.

In addition to collecting bears, I've made a few myself. This is something I really enjoy doing and I'm hoping to continue this hobby and expand it. A wrist injury has prevented me from pursuing this for the past few months but I fully intend to resume my bear making in the next couple of weeks!

In future posts I'll be writing about the bears in my collection in more detail and adding some photos of them. I'll also write about a teddy bear fair I visited recently. I intend to relay news from the teddy bear world and keep you up to date with my personal collection, which is rapidly expanding (much to the groans of my husband!)

Feel free to make any comments you may have about my bears and anything bear-related! I'm always happy to give advice when I can so if you need any tips please just ask :)