Hello Brenda,
This 16" tall bear is heavy, all limbs move and has needle felted snout and paws.
I got it from a charity store for free. I imagine it was once a collectors.
I look forward to more information.

Kind Regards
Hayley

Hi Haley,
Your “gifted” teddy is indeed an artist piece, made of mohair and very unusual. “Teddy” has a needle felted nose, made somewhat flat and oval, resembling a very cute dog. The large nostrils allow him to breathe easily! He is probably stuffed with excelsior or perhaps a cotton batting. He is one of a kind, with a variation in length of mohair. The tongue looks to be needle felted as well. Teddy bear makers create all kinds of animals as well. Usually they have a sewn tag in the seam to identify the artist. The bicolor mohair is ver long and luxurious, and his down turned paws have a kind notation. The hind feet are large and have varying textures- needle felted at the heel. He is top quality with materials and design. Value for your winning pup would be $200.00.
Brenda

Hi Jake,
Your very large teddy is wonderful and in pretty good condition. It may need a gentle cleaning-soft white washcloth, dipped in warm water and then wrung perfectly to do a top over cleaning. Looking at the cloth after some delicate strokes, you will see a residue if he is slightly soiled. I think his plush mohair will be revealed a light honey color. He is American, an Ideal, and dates to the early years (1908) and is similar to the one Smithsonian has exhibited. The rust colored nose and claws were early too (color may have faded somewhat and it appears to have been overstitched), but the glass eyes were introduced later. Early bears had shoe buttons. We can see the origination point is inside the seam. This was also called the top stitched bears in some books, referring to the seams being very visible. Like other American traits, the final seam closing in the back was tradition. He is stuffed with excelsior, and the pads are wool felt. Cupped ears are placed lower than the later bears.
I would value him at $4,000. Enjoy your keepsake!
Brenda

Hi. I am hoping you can provide me with some information on my beautiful large Teddy Bear. He is 27" tall. His head, arms and legs are all jointed and turn 360 degrees. There is a leather patch behind each of his plastic ? eyes. It looks like his color is a little faded on front compared to the backside.
Because I am new to Teddy bears, I am not sure what type of stuffing he has or what type of fur he has. It sounds like there may be some plastic, like a baggie, or something else inside the stuffing. There also appears to be something more solid in his lower abdomen region but he does not make sound and I am not sure if he is supposed to make sound.
Thank you for your help.
Phillip

Hi Phillip,
Your new teddy find is quite a large example at 27”! It dates to the 1950s, and is an Irish teddy made by Tara Toys. The nose is their trademark, with a shield design and two outer stitches on each side to frame the hand stitched cord design. The fur is gold mohair appears to have a slight mauve backing.
The outstretched paws were a trademark as well, a huggable trait. Through the opened pads, we can see the kapok used as stuffing. That is a pure cotton product. The pads themselves were originally rexine, a coating that has since worn off, with some remnants of the original brown showing. No claws are detected. These teddies were designed by the former Sonneberg toy designer, Hans Weberpals from 1950-1965.
The eyes are plastic and you can probably see the leather better than the photo presents. To me they look to have a painted backing, and an amber tone for the iris. As a pink mohair teddy, that was a lot of yardage to create this large size. Value for your Tara Toy bear is $1,700.00
Brenda

Hi Brenda!
I inherited this bear from my mother, and was told it was valuable. I believe it belonged to her mother, who was born in 1901 in the Muskoka region of northern Canada.
There are no tags, and it’s not in great shape.
The bear is 14” long, and looks like it may be stuffed with straw? There is a small hump on his back, and the arms, legs and neck swivel, although I do so very gingerly. Anything you can tell me about him would be amazing. Thank you!
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,
You inherited a great bear from your Mom..and it is valuable! It is a Steiff, from the famous German Co. established in 1877. Margaret Steiff became crippled with polio and had to spend her life in a wheelchair, but that only inspired her to sew and sew as she worked in their factory. They are known for the best stuffed toys, and as Margaret used to say, “only the best is good enough for our children.”
Teddy dates to 1907, and is also a white bear with salmon colored nose cord, mouth and claws. That also makes teddy special. The condition is remarkable, after all those years, still intact and showy. The original felt pads have a little bit of excelsior showing through, and in places some loss of mohair. The eyes are original shoe buttons. With a careful hand, the mohair could be cleaned very gently. Squeakers were placed in the tummy, the first ones worked through a side action. I assume that air has entered the small voice box after all these years, and the front to back action would not be working. The famous button in the ear has gone missing, but this is not needed for ID. A few holes in the mohair could be mended as well. The famous humpback is visible for a side view. If you had pictures of your Grandmother or Mother with teddy that is called provenance. As teddy appears, with some wear, the value would be $1,500.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
He’s very old… my mum is 69 and given him as a baby from her godfather. Not exactly sure how long he had him for before giving him to mum. You’ll see that he has some stitching due to being well loved. He is filled with wood shavings.
He measures from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet 210mm. So 21cm. 8.5" tall.

Regards,
Symone

Hi Simone,
Your heirloom teddy is a Steiff from the 1950s and is a classic! He’s loved so much with some of the mohair worn on his kissable face, and gently woven stitching to keep the excelsior stuffing intact.
There is no button in the left ear,or chest tag, but he has the style to show his heritage! Four claws are visible on hands and feet, while the tummy area shows his hand closed finishing seam. He looks like a boy teddy, and has brown glass eyes. Pictures of your Mom with teddy would create the provenance..his life with her and increase the value. He is small, under 10”, but the stoic appearance makes him seem larger. As he appears, this German classic is valued at $125.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I’d like to know more about this bear. It belonged to my grandfather who died in 1957. The head turns when I turn the tail. It is in really good condition. It is about 9” and
I think it’s mohair.

Thanks,
Alyce

Hi Alyce,
Love your sweet mechanical Schuco toy…a yes/no dog who talks with his tail movement! Schuco was formed as Schreyer & Co. in 1912 in Nuremberg Germany. Heinrich Muller & Heinrich Schreyer were the original founders. Muller had worked for Bing, my late husbands favorite maker.. so Schuco was tops in his book too. Adolf Kahn joined with Muller in 1921 to trademark “ Schuco”. Your grandfathers dog dates to the 1950s, downturned paws
for dogs and cats, while bears had the same downturn to their arms! He is in great condition and I would place a value of $750.00!
He came with a red plastic tag on his chest, held in place with a few stitches, and it read “Schuco Tricky”. Any pictures of your Grandpa with the dog would help with provenance. He is considered a vintage toy now!
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

I purchased this 28" bear from a seller in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The only information given was that he was found in an attic with a small collection of Steiff bears from the 1950's.
Overall I would say he is in very nice shape, with full golden mohair, glass eyes,
a working growler, excelsior stuffing, and 4 original claws on each paw. Two of his paws have some holes in the felt, and his feet have been patched over.
Carly

Hi Carly,
What an interesting story from the German seller saying this bear was found with 1950s Steiff bears! I think he is German, possibly from H. J. Leven, originally a doll factory in Sonneberg. They had quite a production line with leather dolls and teddy bears were added in the late 20s. Fritz Engel took over the Co. in 1932. His daughters became limited partners in the 1950s. Your large mohair teddy dates to the 1940s, with a vertical stitched nose, hump on the back, four claws on both hands and feet, and wool felt pads. The mohair is long, plush and in great shape. The closing seam is in the back. At 28” we could say he is a very large teddy. Steiff had a 30” example. Value for teddy would be $3,500.00
Brenda

Hi again,
I purchased this bear from a seller in Florida this past week. The seller estimated he was made in the 1910's. His glass eyes and paw pads are both replacements. He stands around 22", has a slight hump, and no claws or growler. There are some spots of greater wear in his mohair, but overall seems to be in good shape. His long triangular face reminds me of some of the early American bears I have seen. As always, I'm excited to hear your thoughts!
Thank you so much,
Carly

Hi Carly,
This is an early American teddy, with the traits of Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. another fine large example, dating to the early years of 1910- 14. As the pads are replaced, he seems to have larger eyes than normal. The first Ideal bears had five claws. Your example has no claws, but the triangular head, large ears and long arms exhibit the Ideal charm. Stuffed with excelsior, he has held up very well. I can see the slight pointed toes, another trait. The final closing is in the back seam. Value for this early 22” American Ted would be $3,700.00
Brenda

Dear Brenda,
I know next to nothing about stuffed bears so I hope you can tell me about this bear. He was given to me by a good friend before he died. I know nothing of its provenance beyond that. He is about 24 inches from the tip of his ears to the bottom of his feet. His head, arms, and legs rotate to any position. His eyes are made from a very hard material like glass. His nose is black cloth. He is fully stuffed with a fibrous material making the head and body pretty hard. The body "fur" is getting pretty thin. There is a little "grizzly bear hump" at the top of his back.
What can you tell me about this great looking bear?
James

Hi James,
Your gifted teddy is American, Ideal like and dates to around 1920. That would make him a true antique. In measuring teddy bears, we start at the top of the head and reach to the base of the foot, so he is 20”, without the ears being calculated. He still has his glass eyes, and an original applied black twill nose. He even sports a cord smile! American bears during this time had overstitched sewn seams, an easier job with a sewing machine! The stuffing is excelsior, and felt paws that were also overstitched. The final closing is in the back, this was hand done after completely stuffed. His arms and legs are about the same length, with the arms being set on lower shoulders.
He is in good shape and would be valued at $425.00.
Brenda

Hi Julie,
What a sweet treasure, your Grandma’s heirloom teddy! At 25” for this example, that is a large bear. He is American, most probably Ideal, which was the early make of Morris and Rose Michtom. They had a stationery shop in NY, and upon hearing
of TR refusing to shoot a bear during a boundary dispute in MS (with the Berryman cartoon in the Washington Post), they marveled at the idea of recreating that bear! Their shop offered these handmade bears and rest is history. Your Grandma must have received this bear around 1915. It is mohair, with overstitched seams and excelsior stuffing. He has the typical football shaped body, cupped ears and remnants of a cord nose and mouth. The original eyes were glass, and a bit unsafe by today’s standards. The pads would have been felt. He is in great shape, and if you have pictures of Grandma and teddy that would add to provenance. As he is now, value would be $400.00.
Brenda

Hi Kris,
This is exciting, to see such a gorgeous bear that happens to be from Australia, from the Fideston Toy Co. Ken would be over his heels with this find! I love their story too, with Mrs. Fiddes starting to make bears during WWI. She had two great designs by 1930, always with a broad head, large ears and a cone shaped muzzle. Jackie Brooks first book was The Complete Encyclopedia of Teddy Bears, published in 1990. We did not get her Teddy Bears and Values, although perhaps it is in the library..?
Hobby House Press became the exclusive North American Distributor. She does not even list Fideston Bears :(. So as your picture revealed teddy is from 1937. The tipped mohair is very classy. The leather pads are intact and the slight nose cord disjunction, could be easily filled in. The original large glass eyes are perfect. I think that blue bow sums up his appearance…a Blue Ribbon bear. Congrats on his adoption!
At 22” Mr. Aussie could have a value of $4,500.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I found this bear in a thrift shop. She stands 18" tall and is dressed in a Victorian outfit with maroon velvet coat, hat, and purse. There is fur trim on the collar and bottom of the coat. The hat and purse is also fur, and it looks real. There are diamond looking buttons on the coat and purse.

Ethan

Hi Ethan,
The costuming on your very well dressed teddy is very special. The fur appears to be real, as in mink or fox and really makes the bear quite a charmer. The velvet coat with the rhinestone diamond shaped buttons could be vintage items. The bear itself appears to be a plush fur, possibly artist made with shoe button eyes and a perfectly stitched cord nose. The costume makes the bear, elevating the value. As an artist piece, I would place a value of $65.00 for the well dressed madam.
She is artfully presented.
Brenda

Hi Ricki,
Your mohair “pajama bag” was most likely made by the English teddy bear makers. Considering the nose, with the outer extensions being stitched on each side, this trait was very popular with certain firms, like Merrythought and Deans Rag Book. The eyes are red glass as well, making the shaved muzzle quite perfect in appearance. He is in excellent condition, with the lining itself still glistening. Zippered animals were all the style in the 1960s-1970s. Steiff had zippered Zotty, a real collectible that at one time was worth $900.00 for pristine condition. Your English fellow would be a favorite on any bed, and the value would be $500.00. Few are pictured in the teddy bear books, so that helps with the rarity and mohair material. Dralon material is the least valuable, it’s synthetic while your zippered bag is mohair!
Brenda