LiveAuctionTalk com Highlights Steiff Teddy Bears at Auction in its Weekly Free Article
Released on: October 15, 2007, 12:05 pm
Press Release Author: Rosemary McKittrick
Industry: Entertainment
Press Release Summary: Rosemary McKittrick's website gives you the weekly information you need to keep updated on what's happening at auction around the country. Visit the site and sign up for a free weekly subscription.
Press Release Body: Santa Fe, Oct. 15, 2007--When Steiff teddy bears first showed up on the market at the turn-of-the-century they were an idea whose time had clearly come.
With their mohair fur, glass eyes, humped backs, and long snouts, the teddy bears looked like real bear cubs. Cute and cuddly, there was only one problem. No one seemed too interested during their debut at the Leipzig Toy Fair in Germany in 1903.
As fate would have it, just as the bears were being packed away in boxes an American toy buyer stopped and took a second look. He thought about the growing interest in toy bears in the States and ordered 3000. That was the beginning.
By 1906, teddy bears were everywhere. Society ladies showed up with bears in their arms. Children were photographed with their beloved stuffed bears. The popular song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" was even used as a theme song during Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's election.
Margarete Steiff, an expert seamstress, was the brainchild behind the bears and her company is still thriving. In addition to bears, they produce stuffed animals ranging from elephants and rhinos to Dalmatians and donkeys.
In terms of collecting Steiff teddy bears, old bears are expected to show some wear. After all, many of these beloved survivors of the toy box have been loved to death.
The most desirable bears are the old ones from 1905-1910, made by Margarete Steiff GmbH. in Germany. They're identified by a hexagonal button inside one ear. The button may be long gone but when it's there, the value goes up.
On April 27-29, Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, N.J., featured a selection of Steiff stuffed animals in its "All Toys Aboard" sale. A light mohair bear; fully jointed; stitched nose, mouth and claws; boot button eyes; and button in ear; circa 1907; 14 inches high sold for $3,450.
Read the entire article at www.LiveAuctionTalk.com.
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