Hi Brenda,
This 8" tall bear was in my husband's family. Probably 1950's.
Has a cute pink embroidered nose.
Restoration work done to remove squeaker, add stuffing, reattacbed loose head and ear. Added new eyes.
Thank you.
Mary

Hi Mary,
What a sweet family heirloom and the condition is really great as well. He is American, from Gund, and was called a crib bear with the safe “no joints” arms and legs. Gund had a tag on the left side of the chest as well. I can see a remnant. Lovingly cared for, he is intact with eyes and a beautifully stitched cord nose. The 4 circles for pads were very popular on many of their 1940s teddies, and the larger ones were actually called
'the 4 circle bears'!
I would value your sweet teddy at $40.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
This 20" tall bear was in my husband's family. Probably 1950's. I had repairs done on them in 2007. They include a cleaning, fixing hole above left interior arm. Removed prior repairs, fixing hole at ankle and restitched. Tighten head stitching under the bear's neck. Fix feet claws. Restuffed the torso. Custom dyed fabric to make and attach two new ears.
Thank you for any information.
Mary

Hi Mary,
Congrats on your beautiful mohair teddy with family origins, all pristine and nicely preserved for future years! He is American, most like Ideal teddy with the 20” length, and I think he dates around the 1920s era with the ears placed within the head seam. I know these are replacements, but what a great job! He is excelsior stuffed, has the classic horizontal nose cord and mouth extension. Ideal made very early teddies as well, with similar characteristics. Pictures of an original owner with the teddy also help to increase value, but the main concerns are condition…and your example is excellent. Back hand closure and three claws all point to this era. I would value him an antique teddy at $3,000.00
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
I came across this adorable teddy bear (Rascal) and couldn't pass him up. His head and limbs feel hard like excelsior and his body is softer maybe kapok? His eyes sound like glass when I tap them with my ring. Maybe you can confirm his eyes being glass? His paw pads feel like velvet. When I squeeze his back it feels like a button clicking inside of him. He's about 13 inches tall. If you could tell me brand, date, and value it'd be appreciated. I thank you for your appraisals you have done on all my bears, you're greatly appreciated.
Jesse

Hi Jesse,
Your adorable 13” mohair teddy is American, Knickerbocker from the 1940-50s. He is in the post war period. The pads are velveteen and original with the inset mohair snout. The glass eyes are large and original. He has a bit of wear on the muzzle mohair, meaning he was probably just very loved over the years! Shirley Temple made Knickerbocker famous in her 1934 movie Now and Forever, with Grumpy. He was a 20” brown mohair teddy and at auction he surpassed expectations! I would estimate your 13” all mohair Knickerbocker at $175.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
The bear belonged to my father (it is about 90 years old). He was from the former East Germany (DDR), not far from the Polish border. He brought it to Canada and I found it in his stuff after he died. No one is interested in it so I am hoping to sell it or give it to a collector who will appreciate it, but have no idea about the value of these things.
The bear is 9 inches or 23 cm tall.
Thank you.
Sylvie

Hi Sylvie,
Your heirloom teddy from your Dad is German, resembling the Kohler & Rosenwald factory in Nuremberg. He dates to about 1925 with the mohair body and vertically stitched nose and claws. Their trademark was “ Kolundro”. During this time a combined effort of Josef Nachf. factory and Kohler & Rosenwald also produced mechanical toy figures. Like many German companies, their toys offered a variety of options. Excelsior stuffed, hand closed in the front with a meticulously sewn vertical nose and claws. I would assume the pads under the cloth were wool felt. Formed in 1909, by 1936 Carl Harmus took the reigns with mechanicals. Your dear teddy would be valued at $350.00.
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I believe I have an original Steiff bear from 1904-1905.
Bear is 16” tall and has blue stitching around the neck; possible a repair. Golden mohair, jointed limbs, stitched nose/mouth/claws, brown paw pads. Center seam head with black shoe-button eyes. Firm excelsior stuffing. No button in his ear. Classic early proportions: long arms, humpback, and elongated limbs.
Thank you,
Michael

Hi Michael,
Your mohair teddy is not a Steiff, but American and dates to 1910-12 era. He is mohair as you described and referred to as the “long torso” teddy of this era. The 16” size is a medium sized teddy, with a horizontally stitched simple nose, a very common Ideal American trait. The center seam you referred to on Steiff’s are categorized by the front head construction forming a seam down the center of the nose. You were correct to say the Steiff Co. only did this in 1 out of 7, to save precious mohair fabric. It actually makes the head appear larger! Your American teddy is stuffed with excelsior. The eyes were originally stick in glass which were an amber outer rim and black pupil center and not shoe buttons. These eyes are commonly missing as the glue anchor at the tip becomes dislodged. He should have added excelsior for preservation, as the mohair needs supporting strength to keep solid. That includes adding some to the ankles as well.
I would apprise him at $1,000, a sweet American teddy!
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
We came across this cute little guy (mittens) at an antique store shoved in the back of a display case. His tag said 1920s mohair teddy bear. His head feels like excelsior stuffed but his body I'm not too sure. He feels like a mix of cotton and excelsior. Some of his body has a crunchy sound when squeezed. His paws and pads are replaced but I still see some claws on the side of his feet. I'm curious to know what era he's from and what brand, thank you in advance.
16" tall.
Jesse

Hi Jesse,
Your long mohair teddy seems to be Swiss from the 1920s and resembles those of Helvetic with the horizontally stitched nose and long claws. Some of these were also musical, with a squeeze type box in the chest that played a melodious tune. Yours does not appear to be musical. The long mohair came in various shades as well, with yours being white. At 16”, this is considered a medium sized teddy. The combination of kapok and excelsior was common for stuffing. Many times the mohair was also tinted. The painted glass eyes are a bit worn but sewn right outside the head seam. Under the covered hands and soles of the feet I would assume the pads are wool. He is an antique teddy by now, and the value would be $200.00 as is, but with expert restoration on his pads this could increase the value to double that estimate. If he were musical, that would have added value as well. Enjoy your nice find!
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

This was a bear 14" tall bear was my Aunt's and she was born in 1912. My sister had inherited after her death.  My sister passed last year and she always claimed she told her it was a Steiff bear but it never had a button in its ear.
Jean

Hi Jean,
What a great condition teddy who dates to the early era,
1912-14! He is mohair, five way jointed and even has his original felt pads intact. American Ideal is the maker, with original nose, mouth and claws all remaining. The eyes are shoe buttons, and early as well. Later examples had glass eyes.
The simple cord nose could use a little stitch to keep the original nose intact. At 14”, we would call him mid sized.
If you have pictures of your Aunt, I would keep alongside dear Ted. Excelsior stuffed, his value today would be $1,200, a magnificent specimen!
Brenda

Hi Brenda,
I’m trying to get an approximate value for a 24" tall Gund bear and I wonder if you could help out ? The 24" tall Gund bear was donated at a local charity shop, where my wife is a volunteer, in North Yorkshire, UK. The charity shop is part of the Herriot Hospice unit which helps provide funding for hospice-style care at home for those in our remote rural community. We just want to make sure the bear is priced sensibly at the charity shop as it is in very good condition and has been well looked after for the last 46 years. Many thanks for any help you provide.
Best Regards, Alan

Hi Alan,
What a great teddy for your auction! He’s a nice large size, quite huggable, and in such fine condition. No joints mean he can also be a wrestling bear!
The fur is perfect, eyes and nose also great and he’ll make friends with everyone! God bless you on your efforts to bring comfort and care to those needing it; a very fine attribute!
I would estimate a value today at $125.00
Wishing you much success.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

My sweet mohair, chunky bear is 14” tall. I can feel a covered space inside maybe he was a growler? He did lose some felt on his right paw there is some wool there until he can be repaired. Other wise pretty good condition. He has 4 claws each on his paws. Stitched nose and glass eyes. No button that I can see

Thanks so much,
Dana

Hi Dana,
Your sweet mohair teddy measuring 14" tall is a Steiff from the 1950s, called an Original Teddy. He is caramel mohair with a bit of fading over the years. The one paw pad could be recovered to contain the stuffing. The pads are wool felt, his eyes are glass, and he does have a growler in the tummy. Some work, some do not, depending on the air tight container. You can try to tilt him front to back to see if the growler works. His claws and nose were hand stitched. Your version without the heart shaped head pattern, is most desirable. Value for teddy would be $175.00. He is vintage now, being 50 years and older!

Brenda

Hello Brenda,

We welcomed this teddy bear name Leo, to our forever home today.

I believe he's excelsior filled with mohair. I'm not sure what brand or era he is from. He is 20 inches tall.

I hope you can give me more info,

thank you, .
Jesse

Hi Jesse,
You sure added a great bear with this new addition! Leo is a 1950s mohair Steiff bear measuring at the classic 20” size. That size is a favorite for collectors, as it is large! They are stuffed with excelsior, have the wool felt pads, a vertically stitched nose, and some have working growlers that still preform. Yours does not have the button, but his condition is so great, we can overlook that. It was called the “young bear” with the classic styling. At one time, these bears were selling for nearly $1,000. The prices have come down somewhat, but your example would be $500.00. Enjoy Leo!
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
The 15" tall bear was in my mother’s belongings when she passed away. We are assuming it was hers, although we found some of her siblings’ and her mother’s things mixed in as well. Mom was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1927; her siblings were ten to fifteen years older. Her mother immigrated from Austria in 1905 at the age of ten. We don’t think the bear is that old.
This bear was clearly loved in his prime, but has been carefully packed away for many decades, which made us wonder if he might be older than my mother’s time. He has metal connectors holding his limbs. Both eyes are clear and intact, I’m not sure about eye material, but feels like plastic. His fur is definitely worn, but he seems otherwise intact.
Kristye

Hi Kristye,
Your Mom’s teddy bear is German, so that fits right into her Austrian! The Kiesewetter family were in Neustadt, known as the toy makers. They produced teddy bears and animals from 1921. Anton Kiesewetter Jr. was the plush designer.. very productive and resourceful. His whole family helped in this endeavor and by 1949, their trademark was Petz…in German that means friend! The pointed toes, felt pads, simple horizontal nose cord, excelsior stuffed, and the three claws were all their traits. In the 1950s, a circular, small milk glass white pin was attached on the left upper chest, reading Petz! In German, that means “friend”. At 15” and near mint condition with the exception of the exposed wire at the joints, he dates to the early 1940s. Value for teddy would be $300.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,
I found Grizzley at a yard sale some years ago and simply could not leave him there alone, especially in his condition at the time. At that same sale, I bought an antique Scottish heavy woolen vest and had the repair lady use that fabric to make his ears and a new snout, and she added eyes. His former “fur” (most of which has been rubbed off) appears to have been dark brown, and about 1/4” long. He’s very special. He’s featured prominently in my novel…Grizzly is 12-13”. Kinda Frankenstein like with all the repairs.
Thanks in advance for your time,
Maggie

Hi Maggie,
What a great story for your classic American teddy made by Gund. He dates to the 1940s, and was called the four circle bear. The circle pads were adaptive and offered a way to incorporate contrasting colors! As a German immigrant, Adolf Gund arrived in NY City for work and founded his novelty Co. In 1898. By 1899, he made his first fabric animals. As time went on, Jacob Swedlin, a young immigrant as well, liked working for Mr. Gund and became very good with design work. Eventually, Jacob took over the firm! I mention this because your teddy had his birth with Gund during the reign of Mr. Swedlin. Teddy is still together thanks to your adoption and I bet he loves being featured in your book! Value is long on sentiments…enjoy! Brenda

Hello Brenda,
This 20” bear belonged to my mother-in-law and was left to me. She received the bear for her 3rd birthday in 1916. I believe her mother made the repairs on it. She told a story that this bear fell into a creek and her mother retrieved it and hung it by its ears to dry on the clothesline. My MIL said she cried as she thought it was hurting the bear:)) As an adult, my MIL kept baby clothes on it to protect the mohair. I keep it in a dress that my MIL wore when she was 3. I would appreciate any information on this precious heirloom. Also, would it be a good idea to have it restored or is it better to keep it in original condition? It will be handed down in the family. Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,
Loved your provenance associated with your special family teddy bear! The decision to grant you the next years together was indeed perfect! Teddy is American made, most likely an Ideal and made in the teen years, coinciding with your Mother-in-laws birth date! Ideal was our first bear making company.
TR- Theodore Roosevelt, refused to shoot the little bear cub in the Clifford Berryman cartoon, on the “Bear Hunt” in Mississippi. It was published in the Washington Post, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi". The stationery shop owners of Ideal, Morris and Rose Michtom, blossomed into this made to measure venture!
Your bear is gold mohair, the common color! The stuffing is excelsior, the wool felt pads and the embroidered nose are still intact and quite remarkable. The glass eyes could use a slight cleaning with a Q-Tip. I would have it professionally restored with slight recovering for the pads and maybe mohair inserted for the right arm. We want him to continue a long productive life. I would appraise him today at $800.00 with a gentle restore. You’ll continue the Mother-in-law's legacy, keep pictures of her with him! He is an antique at this age!
Brenda

Dear Brenda,

One more bear from my collection. This one was listed as vintage U.K mohair bear with vintage collar and civil war pin. The collar in stitched together in front so is not removable. He is 18” and firmly stuffed with wood wool and no growler. His paw pads are velvet.
I appreciate any information you can give me on him.

Thank you,
Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,
Your photos have a hazy touch and makes it difficult to do close ups…hard on one’s eyes as well, but doing my best to respond. Bear #1, is German, a Hermann Pluschtiere from the 1950s with red glass eyes. The covered pads were redone in velvet, as you can see from the tiny invisible stitches, with slight puckering. Original pads were wool felt. The collar was placed there by the owner, and it fits him well as a sailor. The final closing stitches are on Teddy’s back. The slight upturn of the paws was also a Hermann trait, with three claws. Perhaps the right side of the mouth area (cord) is underneath the mohair, and just needs a bit of tweaking. Aside from that, he is mint and would carry a value of
$375.00.
Brenda

Hello Brenda,

This 19” bear has been in my collection for several years
but I don’t know much about him. He is stuffed with excelsior and does not have a growler. His sparse mohair is in pretty good shape and it looks like he’s had some repairs done.
I would appreciate anything you could tell me about him.

Thank you,
Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,
This large sized gold mohair teddy is also German, Hans Leh in Coburg and dates to 1930-40s with the pointed wool felt pads. His muzzle is the determining factor- extended and prominent, almost to the length of the arms. He has three claws on each appendage with the wool felt foot pads forming a point. The mohair is short and in good condition with an inset muzzle for the face. The glass eyes are inserted right at the head seam. The final closing is also in the back. Stuffed with excelsior, the glass eyes are affixed in the back of the head. The ears are stitched in place with a cupping technique. Value for this teddy would be $500.00.
Brenda

Dear Brenda,

Here is another bear from my collection, purchased several years ago at an antique mall. I know he is a Steiff, but can’t figure out which model or what year he is from. He is about 12 1/2” tall and seems to have a solid breastplate in his front tummy, but no growler. He’s very firmly stuffed. I would appreciate any information you could give me on him.

Thank you,
Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,
Your small sized mohair Steiff is possibly in between the sizes you mentioned-either 11.024. “or 13.78”. The 12 1/2” size you mentioned is not recorded in the Steiff Sortiment book. Possibly could be oversized and qualified for “seconds” bin, or maybe your ruler or tape was at fault. Nonetheless, it is a Steiff with a blank yellow tag and button in the left ear. This teddy is called “Original Teddy” made from 1950s-60s.The color is caramel—other colors were gold, brown and white. It was made with a chest tag hanging from the center body and also a yellow ribbon around the neck. They also had a chest squeaker on the small bears, a growler for larger ones. Value today would be $125.00.
Brenda

Dear Brenda,

Here is another bear from my collection. When I purchased it at a mall in Lansing, it was listed as an Educa Bear, but I’d like to be sure if that’s true. I thought he might be Hermann. He’s about 16” and has a growler, but it only squeaks.

Thank you any info you can give me on him.

Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,
Your inclination of this teddy is correct, it is Hermann made by Max Hermann in the 1950s. He is one of the dynasty teddies, meaning this famous family in Germany settled in Sonneberg famous for their Toy Exhibitions. Your mohair teddy with upturned paws has the classic 3 claws on each appendage. He could use some wool felt inserted into his left paw. Hermanns are usually notorious for their growlers always working, but thank you for mentioning cause a squeaker takes up less room inside! The typical horizontal nose cord is perfect, along with the drop stitch for the mouth extension. Value for this 16” teddy would be $200.00.
Brenda

Hi Tracy,
Your Mom’s wonderful mohair teddy is American, Knickerbocker and dates to the 1930s. The dark brown mohair was classic as well as the glass eyes, vertically stitched nose and felt pads. Knickerbocker Toy Co. was established in NY in the mid 1800s making wooden alphabet blocks in the Victorian mode. They introduced teddies and other toys in the 1920s. They moved to NJ in 1968, and produced Smokey Bear until the mid 70s. Shirley Temple really made them famous as her Grumpy bear, filmed the movie with her..”Now and Forever”! Knickerbocker was a classic American Co. They were acquired by Hasbro and closed in 1984. Value for your original Knickerbocker 24” teddy would be $500.00 with provenance, glass eyes, kapok stuffing and mint felt pads.
Brenda

Hi Larry,
Thank you for your detailed info on the marvelous brown mohair teddy bear! You mentioned Knickerbocker, which was a very prominent maker of American bears as well as other animals. Originally founded in 1850 in NY, their product at that time was lithographed alphabet blocks. Teddy bears and other stuffed toys came into production in the 1920s. Your brown mohair teddy is one of their classic colors…and since he is unjointed, without paw pads, we call him a crib bear. He was cuddly. i believe the eyes are plastic as glass would have not been available for this size and style. The plastic ones were more secure. He dates to the 1960s, as you indicated! The studded orange rhinestone collar was a perfect addition; seemingly like a dog collar, and it matches his eyes! This was not original. One very famous Knickerbocker bear was owned by Shirley Temple, and it appeared on camera with her in the movie, Now and Forever in 1934. Your teddy is an original, dating to the late 50-60 era, in excellent condition and would be valued at $125.00.
Brenda

Hi Susan,
Your large mohair teddy is quite a prize! The traits of Farnell fit right into this majestic bear, dating him to around 1930s, with long mohair, dark glass eyes, large feet, long arms, and perky ears! The partially shaven muzzle allows his character to shine through with the large vertically stitched nose and mouth extension. He has a very soulful look, perfect for the attributes of Farnell. Dee Hockenberry’s Big Bear book has a great close-up of a 28” Farnell on pg. 79. I am particularly fond of these English bears and the connection to Winnie the Pooh. Always top quality materials and connections to Winnie the Pooh as AA. Milne wrote books about his son, Christopher Robin and a teddy bear! Farnell teddies from this period had great mohair and presence. His value would be $3,000.00
Brenda