Hello Brenda,

Fully jointed, filled with Straw? Also has a growler that works. Small hole on paw pad.
18-19" tall.

Thank you,
Jenal

Hi Jenal,
This mohair teddy is also German, from another famous maker, Hermann. The toy factory was also a family affair, with Max Hermann in Sonneberg. His factory was founded in 1920, and continued with family ties until the 1980s. The Pluschtiere hand tag was affixed to the left chest. All mohair, with felt pads, an inset muzzle of shorter mohair, red glass eyes, a horizontal nose cord with a septum connecting to the smiling mouth. It is hand closed in the back. He is in excellent condition and dates to the 1960s. The interior ear mohair matches the muzzle. Sam is an 18” teddy with a value of $200.00.
Brenda

Hi Bruce,
Very interesting teddy bears, and I think I found their original ad as it appeared in the “ Collectors History of the Teddy Bear, by Pat Schnnmaker, 1981, published by Hobby House Press, Inc. In the ad, 2 bears were offered- 14 and 18”, as well as rag doll. This was a pattern, the bear skin cloth, 44” wide, and a piece of kid 6x9” were required to complete. The look is exactly like your bears. So, we can say it is an early American teddy, handmade by a skilled sewer, non-jointed with cotton stuffing. The nose appears to be composition that has been painted black. No joints, just the ability to pose the legs in the sitting position. The eyes appear to be glass, which could have been from a doll supplier. With the early age, and the Ladies World magazine dated to February, 1907, we can say this a an antique teddy.
I would put the value of the larger bear, today at USD $450.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,

Poodle is 19" tall. An estate sale find- bendy - in arms-, and that's all I know about him.

Hi Jenal,
Your Schuco plush dog comes from the famous Schreyer & Co. toy factory of Germany in Nuremberg. Originally founded by Heinrich Muller and Heinrich Schreyer in 1912, they did mechanical plush toys, and were quite the experts in tinplate toys too. In 1918, Schreyer left the company and Adolf Kahn became a partner. They made top quality items. Your poodle with the drawstring attachment appears to be white mohair, with a Pom Pom nose, glass eyes, fully costumed and labeled Bigo Bello, with Western Germany, dates it from 1949- 1990.
I would say 1960s for your 20” poodle with a value of $175.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
The teddy bear, which appears to be yellow in coloration is 21" tall. No discernible manufacturer tags or buttons present on the bear. Jointed 5-way, stuffed with straw, which has substantial weight to maintain a seated position. Glass eyes. The paw pads are felt or suede material. There is some apparent fur loss of mohair.
Small areas of wear are present on the paw pads, through which the straw stuffing is visible; these are the only areas where the stuffing is exposed.
Thank you,
Jenal

Hi Jenal,
Your wonderful gold mohair teddy is German, from Petz and hails from the Neustadt near Coburg factory. Originally founded in 1859, they advertised in 1949 their Petz quality teddy bears and other animals. Anton Kiesewetter, the locksmith within the family, decided to concentrate on plush toys. The milk glass Petz button was attached to the left chest of each teddy. Pointed toe pads, long arms with a slight upturn at the end, a horizontal cord nose and tucked in ears were also traits along with the four claws on each appendage. By 1967, the company liquidation took place with a heavy heart- Gerhard
Kiesewetter. They also made other animals, but the teddy was king for the circus! Value for your 1950s 20” teddy is $400.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
My father inherited this 7" tall bear from two elderly sisters he cared for until they passed away in the late 70s or early 80s. This was their bear as children and is believed to be from the early 1900s. No tags or markings. No jointed arms/legs. Has been kept in protective case.

Thank you,
Sara

Hi Sara,
What a sweet teddy bear, with a remarkable history. He is American, Knickerbocker and was called a crib bear because he has no hard joints, just the soft, bendable attachments of arms and legs. He is mohair, and has glass eyes with the muzzle being all one piece and a vertical cord nose. I would date him to the 1930s. Shirley Temple made Knickerbocker famous with her films and close attachment to these bears. They ceased business in the 1980s, so a long lived American Co. He is in good shape and would carry a value of $85.00. Small but mighty!
Brenda

Hi Brenda,

I purchased this bear at a local thrift store and wondered who he is!
He measures 16" in height and is fully jointed. He has one glass eye missing, neck ribbon was on him when purchased.
He seems to be stuffed with soft and excelsior and has a non working growler in his belly.
Thank you,

Paulette

Hi Paulette,
Your now white appearing mohair teddy was once a gold mohair and has American traits with no claws and horizontal few cord stitches for the nose area. He has Knickerbocker appeal, without the vertical nose. The remaining glass eye is large and Amber, a color this company was known for. It appears to be original. The long arms and feet are without claws while the pads are a wool felt. They are over stitched in place. I would date him to the 1940s. Stuffed with excelsior and kapok, he was very cuddly. It appears he has hand closure in the back,
an American trait as well. Value for your “new love” would be $200.00. Bessie Pease Gutmann, an established artist, used this term for her new found teddy that replaced her other toy,
a doll In an original print! Enjoy!
Brenda

Good afternoon,
I purchased this bear at an estate sale. Unfortunately there are no tags or markings to indicate what it is. The bear is solid black, has a plastic nose and eyes, weighs 1 lbs 12.5 ounces (heavy), is 16" tall & about 9" from hand to hand, with jointed arms and legs.

Thank you,
Jessica

Hi Jessica,
Your 18” teddy appears to be made from real black fur, perhaps from an older coat. Back in the 1970s and 80s, many teddy bear artists were crafting their fine art of creating these popular bears. Although much harder to sew, a real pelt of fur provided a very interesting background. Often times, the real fur had a purpose with the buyer of such bears…perhaps from a coat of a loved one! There are no pads, no mouth, only the plastic nose. Care is similar to real fur coats, protection from any past critters, and protected from a light source. The black bear model made its debut in 1912, as an endearing model for the sinking of the Titanic. The sorrowful bears were made by Steiff as a mourning bear. So, perhaps this too inspired your real fur Ted. At 18” I would value him at $95.00.
Brenda

Good morning,
I was curious if you could give me information on this teddy bear I picked up at an antique shop, he is 16" tall.

Thank you for your time.

Lopez

Hi Lopez,
Your 16” non jointed teddy in a plush fabric is American, from Character. The company was founded in 1932 in Norwalk, Connecticut…by two New York businessmen- Jack Levy and Caesar Mangiapani.
Your teddy dates to the 1960s, is a plush fur, non jointed, has
a plastic nose, and classic red tongue, with an inset muzzle. The eyes appear to be a pale yellow glass. He even has a tail for authencity. Value for your teddy would be $125.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
My mom had him when she was a little girl and she was born in 1934.
We've had the bear as long as I can remember and I was born in 1960.
They always said it was a Steiff, but we don't have any papers and the bear doesn't seem to have any markings.
Measures about 18-20" tall, and I think it is mohair.
That's all I know.
Thanks.
Mary

Hi Mary,
Your mother’s teddy bear appears to be American from Gund and dates to the 1940s. At 20” he is a large bear, with an inset muzzle and a vertically stitched nose with an unusual red felt tongue. The eyes are glass, with over stitched wool felt pads on the extremities, and a hand closing seam on the back. The head has a center seam, while there is some damage to the mohair in the muzzle area. Gund was formed in 1898, as a novelty toy company in Norwalk CN. Teddy bears were started in 1906, as they moved from CT to NY. The owner was Adolph Gund, a German immigrant. Eventually, Jacob Swedlin became the owner after Gund’s retirement. Jacob’s relatives still run the company, third generation. Value for your mohair, jointed teddy would be $400.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I don't know the back story only that he was given to me by a dear friend about 30 years ago. Bears is 14 inches long. Thank you.
Judi

Hi Judi,
Your dear Steiff is in perfect shape and dates to 1982-1987. This model was called the Margaret Woodbury Strong teddy and it came in several sizes. The ear tag is visible with the yellow remnant around the circular brass button, but it has been cut off. A noted front hand closed seam was the final closure for all Steiffs. The wool felt pads are perfect too. Originally, equipped with a frontal paper hanging tag (booklet styled) it explained the significance of the Margaret Strong teddy. She was originally from NY, a wealthy collector ( 1897-1969), who had so many playthings, they opened the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester in 1982. Steiff worked with the family to establish this memorial. Interesting how both Margaret s loved teddy bears ( Margaret Steiff and Margaret Woodbury Strong).
Value for your teddy is $150.00
Brenda

Hello,
Another online auction win! This bear is long mohair which looks like it used to be a lovely golden colour. He is 20" in height, fully jointed with 4 claws on each of his feet and paws. He has a working tipping glower. He has brown with black pupil glass eyes. A nice stocky bear and very huggable. His nose wool is coming out in areas and he has a few flea bites on his foot pads, pads look original with paw pads being in really nice condition. No identification on him, but he seems to have Steiff like features. I would love to know about him. Thank you again,
Paulette

Hi Paulette,
You have a very good premonition about this teddy! Yes, he is a Steiff, dating to the 1950 era and he seems to be a curly gold mohair. At 20”, this was considered a large bear! Originally made with a button, chest tag and ear tag, in the 1950s era….they were easily removed and many mothers actually took them out to keep baby safe. Today the added keepsakes make them more valuable, but we still know they are quality toys. The pads could be expertly repaired with an inserted wool felt piece that is gently blind stitched and matches the color. He has excelsior stuffing. Value for your 20” 1950 Original Teddy would be $400.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
I won this bear at an online auction and was wondering if you could tell me anything about him. What stands out for me is how big his neck cotter pin is! It measures 14" around and feels like wood. Yes, he has some issues that I will be able to fix, his ear needs sewing back on along with his wool nose has a few loose threads. I will replace the glass eyes as they do not match. He seems to have had his paw pads replaced at some point. He measures 24" in height and his mohair is worn, he looks like a very pale beige in colour.
Thank you for your help,
Regards Paulette

Hi Paulette,
You won quite a large teddy bear at 24”! He is American with the large head, cupped ears, and stick figure arms and legs for his torso. He has a very soulful look, with the turned up nose on the side view! American bears were prolific, with many companies getting into the teddy bear craze. Why not? After all, TR was our American President. I would date him to the 1915 era, all mohair and stuffed with excelsior. The over stitched seams, triangular shaped head and hand stitched cord nose are in very good shape considering he is a true “antique” teddy. The felt backing on the pads was a rather cost saving material…you can recover in a wool felt to give him some stability. The left eye appears to be original. The nose and mouth look original. Value for your teddy would be $700.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
This bear was from an auction of an old box of kick knacks that I won. I am sure he is a Steiff! He does has very worn mohair and his paw pads need re doing which I will certainly do for him.
He also has lost some excelsior stuffing which I have ordered to fix him up! He measures head to toe 10", his eyes do not look original, I think they are too big for him! He has a bellows in his tummy which takes up a lot of room, when you depress his tummy a spring moves but no sound. He has 4 claws on his paws and his feet and a little humpback. I think is is a happy looking fella and I would love to know more about him.
Thank you,
Paulette

Hi Paulette,
Your 10” old teddy is a Steiff, with the classic hump back, cupped ears and horizontally stitched cord nose. The replaced eyes are indeed too large, save them for another teddy who may need some sight. Shoe button eyes were his originals, and a smaller version. He dates to 1915-20, with the four claws and spring action voice box. Air gets into the devise, causing a lack of sound. I would gently repair the spring to the cardboard to prevent damage to the mohair. Wool felt was used for the pads. Gently restoring the pads and adding excelsior with properly sized shoe button eyes, he should be quite a charming fellow even with the sparse mohair. I would estimate a value
of $250.00
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I recently purchased this bear at the Warrenton, Texas antique festival. A dealer was selling a large estate from a toy collector. The bear was found in a bin along with other stuffed animals. He is 15.5 inches tall, has a "growl box" that does still works. There is faint writing on his right foot pad, looks like signature and date. I cannot make it out. His eyes appear to be glass and he has a hump on his back.

He is in fairly good shape, but is starting to lose some hair, possibly mohair?
I paid $10.00 for him. He seems old, but I am wondering if possibly some kind of reproduction? His limbs and head are jointed and move. His padding on feet appear to be soft suede-like material.
Rosemary

Hi Rosemary,
Great find at your Texas antique festival! At 15.5”, all mohair, with the Ultra-suede pads, he seems to have a signature on the right foot pad, with the year. This is an artist teddy, made in the image and likeness of an older American teddy. The arms and legs are elongated, with the round tummy, cupped ears, and a hand closed front seam. There also seems to be a date next to the signature. The Ultra-suede material had quite a nap to it, so reading the date is rather difficult.
He may be excelsior or a poly filled stuffed teddy
Even back in the late 1980s, artists made teddy bears!
You found a real deal in your purchase!
Most new teddies at this midsize range from $150.00 - 200.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
The tan bear is 8 inches and the golden bear is 11 inches.
- Both are Steiff bears but only one has the ear tag
- the newer bear is the limited run Jack Nicklaus British Open commemorative bear.
- the older bear was my mothers in the 1950s, she said it was her mothers before her and was given to her as a young child

Thanks!
Clara

Hi Clara,
Your older Steiff teddy is called Teddy Baby and does date to the 1950s with the inset muzzle and the turned down paws. So great it belonged to your Mom…pictures of him with your Mom would be provenance..a story told! His turned down paws were an endearing trait. He had a button in the ear, and cloth tag with numbers, as well as a cardboard chest tag. He does have some fur worn off….a bit of extra loving, I would imagine! Some had a squeaker in the tummy too. He is stuffed with excelsior.
The duel toned mohair was a rosewood with a shorter tan inset muzzle. The open mouth was really appealing to children, as if they talked. They had a similar teddy baby from the 1930s but yours is the two toned example, a later model. Value for your 8” Steiff teddy baby today would be $200.00.
Brenda

Hi Geoff,
Your very loved teddy seems to have only remnants of gold mohair. While there are patches in some areas to let you know that at one time he was covered in mohair, most of it is the cloth backing. He reminds me of a Chiltern teddy, with long arms and shoulders near the neck joint. The particular kind of Chiltern would be the Hugmee bear, 15 1/2" and dating to the 1930s. Made in England he is excelsior stuffed, has a voice box (slight noise) as you mentioned, or growler. The nose is vertically stitched in black cord, has an extension and a mouth. The ears are cupped just off the side of the head. Because he is a Hugmee, that explains the fur lose over the years he was loved that much! The pads would have originally been cotton, later ones had velvet and some had cardboard inserts. The original glass eyes were rather large. Usually the pads had 4 claws, but yours may have been resewn. The fortunate trait for teddy is the backing is strong and the stuffing intact! Value as is would be $300.00. He was most loved and lost his hair during the journey!
Brenda

Hi Brenda!
This 25" tall bear I found at a local thrift store.
He just looked so sweet, I had to have him. He is sturdy, fully jointed body. I think he’s stuffed with cotton or heavier soft material. His fur is definitely not mohair.  I believe his eyes are made of glass. I feel certain the clothing may be handmade, mostly because the shirt has been sewed shut at the front so I can’t remove it without tearing it up. I wish I had more background on this fellow, but sadly I don’t.
Hoping you can help!
Thank you!
Jamie

Hi Jamie,
Your tall teddy, at 25” appears to be an artist teddy, handmade,stuffed, stitched, and then costumed in a handmade outfit! You said he is not mohair, but the plush sure resembles the higher priced mohair. It could be an acrylic plush. Artist bears became a trend in the 80s and 90s. It would have required a pattern or a talented sewer who could make their own design. You mentioned he is heavy, which could explain a cotton stuffing as opposed to a polyester. The outfit is wonderful too, giving him a older look. The nose, mouth and septum are all hand stitched. The eyes appear to be glass. He has no paw pads, just a seamed foot formed from the fabric. Value for artist bears depends on appeal and construction. He is very sweet, and well manicured. Value would be $175.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

The bears are part of our collection and we have never known a lot about them - other than we liked them! We have many other old and newer Steiff but these are some of our favorites.

This bear measures 18" and 23" standing. He has lovely long mohair!

Please let me know if you need more information.

Thank you!
Catherine

Hi Kate,
Nice bear presentations! This teddy is an American Ideal, dating to 1910, with a rather newer stitched nose and shoe button eyes inside the head seam. That is a trait most of the Ideals presented. He has a prominent profile, with the torso accentuating the hump on the back and arms situated low on the body. His cupped ears start at the head seams. The pads are professionally resewn into place.
I see a remnant of one claw. The final back seam is hand closed, very precisely. The near mint condition of the mohair is excellent. Value for Mr. Ideal at 23”would be $4,000.00
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

his bear measures 18". He has lovely long mohair!
Catherine

Hi Kate,
Bear is an 18” American as well, from Knickerbocker Toy Co. He dates to the 1930s, has a wonderful brown mohair with some thinning in spots, but original felt pads, glass eyes and the hand closed seam in the back torso. He has the few spots I mentioned with mohair loss. The horizontal stitched nose is original cord. No inset muzzle, as this was the earlier example. You can see the over stitch on wool felt pads. His value would be $900.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
I don't have a clear history on this bear.

It 24" tall and weighs 3 lbs 12 oz.

Has wood legs and wears a dress with long bloomers.

Thank you
Ken

Hi Ken,
Your 24” tall teddy with the wooden legs under a custom dress, “Busy as a Bee” appears to be an artist creation. Popular in the 1980s and beyond, this form of teddy bear appealed to many as collectible. I am not sure if the color is original, or she was an off white as appears on the nose and hand seams! A simple wiping with a damp white washcloth would reveal that to you! The tea dyed collar/doily was very popular in the 1980s as well. Her eyes are black shoe buttons with a hand stitched nose, mouth and septum. Adorable! I think she was meant for a kitchen area, possibly a door stop with the solid wood legs. No particular artist stands out, as many talented sewers made teddy bears. I would value her at $50.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
My teddy bear was passed down to my mom, who was born in 1952. The bear appears to be made of Mohair and has movable joints. It measures 10 inches tall.
Unfortunately, that's all the information I have.

Kristen

Hi Kristen,
Your heirloom teddy appears to have an English touch, with the paw pads being an ultra suede finish and four claws only on the pads. The mohair appears to be a real fur, almost lamb like in texture and curly in spots. That would also indicate his wide features, and the Pom Pom style nose, not a sewn one. He would be considered an early artist teddy, possibly handmade by a talented sewer. The wide features also indicate this style, even the very wide neck joint. He is probably stuffed with poly-fil, and perhaps cotton too. A likely source for design was the inspiration of Merrythought’s Cheeky teddy bear. Very same claws, on felted fabric, from the 1950s, and a wide head. Cheeky had an inset muzzle for the mouth area though, and yours does not. Being five way jointed, glass eyes sewn onto the wide head, and a simple stitched mouth complete his appeal. Value for your Mothers heirloom teddy would be $75.00. Brenda