Hello Brenda,

Wwe found this 21" tall bear at a local antique store and we're wondering what it is. He feels like excelsior filling, and his pads look to have been redone. Hopefully you can tell me more about it.
Jesse

Hi Jesse,
You have a great American teddy made by the Hecla company, dating to 1907. The rust colored nose was their trademark, and your white mohair example is exemplary. The arms are very long, rust yarn on the hands and legs is also evident, with the large side ears exhibiting the early years. The glass eyes are replacements, as the original ones were black shoe buttons. The five claws were the early years as well. The pads have been replaced, but help keep the excelsior stuffing in place.
For his size and condition, the value would be $3,000.00
Excellent example!
Brenda

Hi Anya,
Your acrylic teddy on all fours is considered a newer collectible. The claws seem perfect, and the sewn paw pads support them well. Being a newer fur, this type of toy is perfect for children’s play. Most of the MJC products were made in China. Resale would be valued at $65.00 with the face being kind and gentle! He is a large teddy, but capable of being held by most, even children. It’s the floppy nature that makes him huggable.
Good luck with his placement on the market!
Brenda

Hi Brenda,

This teddy bear a sweet volunteer gave me years ago at the hospital where I worked & I'm wondering how old it might be & if its worth anything? It's legs & arms can be moved, it looks like there might be some string where the leg attaches to the leg , its 18" long the tag is worn so I can't read anything.
Any help would be much appreciated, 
Thank you,
Jeffie

Hi Jeffie,
Your sweet gifted teddy is an acrylic teddy with what seems to be repositioned eyes. I can see bare areas on each side of the head seam which probably held the original eyes…! He has an inset muzzle, with a sewn vertical nose. The attached tag might have been a price tag at one time,with a slight description. The metal button sewn might have been an identifying mark…as in Button Bears. He has articulated arms and legs, with a very rotund tummy. At 18”, this is a good sized bear. He is stuffed with a polyfill. With proper eyes placed on the head seam, he might be happier! As is the value would be $30.00.
Brenda

Hi Anya,
What a sweet cuddly pony made out of plush fur. He is from Russ Berrie, production was 1963-2011. Named after the founder, these plush animals and toys were affordable and adorable. Manufactured in China, many were produced, as in mass market. Your pony has a great presence though, able to stand, sit, and even run with a child’s assist. I am glad you had such interest on the internet….his perky ears and lovely appearance make him a good pony. You can always come down from $75.00, but that seems appropriate! Good luck!
Brenda

Hi Brenda
Just bought this dog. He is 11" long by 5" thick (depth front to back). The ears are 4” long, the front paws are 3” wide by 4.5” long and the tail is 1.5” wide by 2.5” long. The dog doesn’t have joints and I don’t have much other information given we just purchased it at a local estate sale.

Thanks!
Dave

Hi Dave,
Your unjointed dog appears to be from the 1940-50s, with the simple composition nose, sewn line for the mouth and the somewhat celluloid eyes that have wear. He appears to be mohair/wool blend for the fur. The inset snout is worn with little of the fur remaining. Despite that, he is still smiling! The outer stitches on the front paw pads mimic some American makers. Gund was famous for many unjointed dogs, and I think he resembles this maker. The stuffing is sub in areas, then excelsior to hold his distinctive shape. His jowl line has an upward trend, almost like a rabbit. At 11” for his length, the value would be $50.00 for the vintage age!
Brenda

Hi Dianne,
Your Great Uncle’s bear is indeed an antique model dating to the 1910 era, with the German Co. of Strunz. They made similar examples in 1913 as well. Being a factory of cloth and felt toys, they were in Nuremberg and Allersberg, Germany. Founded in 1902, by Wilhelm Strunz, Steiff took them to Court several times sighting an infringement on a likeness to their products. As it turns out years later, both companies get high compensation for excellent condition products, but Steiff still is the top producer. Your teddy is in great condition, at 12”, with mohair, long arms, and that characteristic cord nose. It is horizontally stitched with an outer loop outlining the entire area of the nose, and reaching upwards, to the top of the nose cord. Underneath this cord, is the Y extension for the mouth. This was definitely different from Steiff teddies! The shoe button eyes are sewn just outside the head seam. Ears are cupped slightly, and his tummy cylinder inside teddy is the voice box, nonworking today. The threads you see from the arms may be remnants from a tag. Value for your Strunz bear would be $2,000. Any pictures could add provenance for your Great Uncle, and further increase value by 10%.
Brenda

Good evening Brenda,

Wwe found this 24" tall parrot, on a perch, at a collectors event. He feels to be filled with excelsior. The person who sold it to us, claims it was from early 1900s. We have no idea, please help.
Thank you.
Jesse

Hi Jesse,
Wow, what a sweet interpretation of a very special parrot! My best fulfillment of an appraisal takes me to England and their toy industry. Steiff of course, as far as records go, is the best documentation with their various books…but nothing like your example. Two older books shine a light for a mohair parrot: Farnell Teddy Bears has a picture from 1910 in the Harrods Christmas catalogue, seems to be on a swing,

but cannot read the small catalog print accompanying this bird. The book was written by Kathy Martin in 2010, and is copyrighted, refer to page 57 for details.
The other option is less applicable with the great penning of John Axe in 1986, The Magic of Merrythought, also all rights reserved. His fine bookkeeping details a parrot on a stand, Polly, from 19” from 1933. However, since the majority have felt wings, these would not be applicable. We shall say your English mohair parrot could be Farnell from 1910. Values were not given in the books, but I would say this antique item would be valued at $300.00 and up. It was fun looking into birds for awhile! Steiff has been the giant among all toys, but Farnell had Winnie the Pooh from Christopher Robin! He is housed in the NY Public Library along with all his animal friends!
Brenda

Hi Nancy,
Your gently worn gold mohair teddy is English, from Dean’s. He dates to the 1930s, and the pads were once velveteen, which has worn down to the cotton backing, but is still intact. He has large cupped ears, and amber glass eyes. The vertical black nose cord accents his large smile. The arms are quite a bit shorter than his legs, a typical trait for the English bears. Deans Rag Book Co. Ltd. was founded in 1903-books for children. By 1905, they introduced Knockabout toys which included a teddy bear in 1908. A long lived company with many ups and downs, the company closed in 2015, but limited reproductions are available. The gingham bow was added recently. Value for your 17” teddy would be $150.00. Quite a find from Goodwill!
Brenda

Hi Brenda,

This bear was found in my mom's old steamer trunk from when my grandfather was stationed in Germany in the early 50’s. Seems to be missing a key? Has some sort of crank on its back. He’s 22 inches. Yes all jointed. His tail moves his head “yes/no”. Any help is appreciated.
Regards,
Shanna

Hi Shanna,
Wow, what a find in your Mother’s steamer trunk! He is German, from Schuco, with the plastic ID tag on his left front, including the ribbon. He dates to the 1950s, with the turned down paws, glass eyes, fully stitched nose and beautiful mohair coverage. The tail move the head mechanism enabled these teddies to “talk”! That movement was endearing, ask a question and you get a yes or a no! This particular teddy was a favorite for teachers…and children, but also for everyone. The turned down paws made him very approachable as well. The claws are perfect, and the only missing link is the wind key for his music box. Perhaps a vintage music shop might carry. Some had this in the front as well. Your excellent teddy at 22” would be valued at $2,000. He is stuffed with excelsior, and near mint aside from missing the windup music key.
Brenda

Hi Silvia,
Your vintage bear is German, from Hermann Co. and dates to the 1950s, and is in excellent shape. The mohair is long and silky, with only slight repairs on the felt pads. Originally formed in the 1920s, this family business had quite and impact with most of the family involved in various companies. The inset muzzle, red glass eyes, and three claws on the appendages were common traits. Hermann Spielwaren GmbH was their official name with eventual production in Sonneberg. They still are in business today! At 16” he is considered a medium teddy, with 20” being the large size. He may have a growler in the tummy that when tilted he makes a “moo” sound. Value for your vintage teddy would be $400.00.
Brenda

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