All My Children

Few objects provide a more intimate link with the past than an old teddy bear or a cloth doll. In good condition, however, these souvenirs of childhood can be of far more than sentimental value.

Soft toys and stuffed animals have been popular with children for generations, but have only recently acquired value as collectibles. `Arctophiles’ — as teddy bear lovers are called, after the Greek arctos (bear) — and other toy enthusiasts will pay thousands of pounds for the best and rarest examples. But even collectors with less to spend can find good buys.

Teddy Bears

Two contenders, one German and one American, have some claim to producing the first soft toy bears. The German manufacturer was Margarete Steiff, a polio victim who turned to toymaking in the 1880s as a way of gaining independence. Using material from her uncle’s felt factory, she began with an elephant pincushion but was soon making far more elaborate t0ys such as a mechanical dancing bear and a bear on all fours that could be pulled along on wheels.

At the turn of the century, Steiff and her nephew started to make bears with m0vable joints. The bears were stuffed with wood shavings and covered with mohair plush in a range of colours, including black and silvery^,white. For some time the Steiff bears failed to arouse much interest, but the breakthr0ugh came when a New York company placed an order for 3000 at the Leipzig Fair in 1903.

Meanwhile, Morris Michtom, a Russian immigrant to the United States, was making a living selling sweets and toys — mostly handmade by Michtom and his wife — from a shop in Brooklyn. In 1902 the Michtoms made a small bear out of furry fabric in response to a newspaper story about the American president, Theodore Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a bear cub on a hunting expedition. Michtom called his bear ‘Teddy’s bear‘ after the president, and displayed it in his shop window, where it sold almost immediately. As the Michtoms made and sold one bear after another, and it became obvious that there was a huge demand for the toys, they wrote to Ro0sevelt and received permission to use his name. Eventually the Michtoms’ entire stock was bought by Butler Brothers, later to become the Ideal Toy Corporation, America’s biggest toy manufacturer.

The Steiff bears were named Freund Petz (’Friend Bruin’) in Germany, but they too came to be known as teddy bears after some of the imp0rted toys were used to decorate tables at a White House reception given by Roosevelt. From then on the name stuck.

What to look for

From 1904 onwards, teddy bears were manufactured in large numbers by German makers such as Bing, Bruin, Hermann, Schuco and Sussenguth, as well as by Steiff, and also by many American companies, among them Columbia Teddy Bear Manufacturers, Commonwealth Toy and Novelty Company, Harman Manufacturing Company, Ideal Toy Company and Knickerbocker.

British toymakers started producing bears in large numbers only in the 192os. Names to look out for include those of Chad Valley, Chiltern, Dean’s Rag Book Company, Eaton Toys, J.K. Farnell, Merrythought, Pedigree and Norah Wellings.

Before buying an old teddy bear, decide whether you want it as an investment or just for pleasure. Only bears that are in good condition with their fur intact and identifiable as being made by a well-known firm have kept or increased their value.

Steiff bears can be identified by a metal button in the left ear, from which the date of manufacture can be judged; other makes of bear may have a label or tag. Avoid unmarked teddy bears if you are looking for an investment — they can seldom be authenticated. Beware, too, of imitations: the Steiff button is now being copied by some German manufacturers. If in doubt, ask a specialist at one of the big auction houses to take a look.

Prices vary according to age, condition, maker and colour. A beige or yellow (`gold’) 6 V.- 12 in ( 16.5-30 cm) Steiff bear made in about 1920 and in good condition will usually fetch between 1,5oo and £1500 at auction, but a similar, unlabelled British one only about £150-£200. Unusual colours, such as rust or cinnamon, can fetch around £2000, silver- white around £6000, and black examples will go for up to £22,000. Even a beige Steiff hear from before 1910 may be worth up to £4000. These prices depend on size.

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