Posted 10 years ago
jeansaint
(17 items)
This teddy bear has been in the family since it was new back in the late 1800s-early 1900s. I have a photo of my grandmother holding it when she first got it as a gift. There are no identifying marks on it or tag in the ear and its in rough shape but I was wanting to get some history for it as far as maker, etc if anyone can identify it. Thanks
Very nice Teddy!
Very nice!
Those eyes, love it!
He is wonderful . Teddy Bears were first produced in 1902 but not really on market till 1903 by Steiff. He looks like a Schucco Bear does his head turn ? I am on a small notebook while PC is out for repair and to small for me to see him clear . I will come back to him in a day when PC should be back . I would love to see Photo of your Grandmother holding him ! I am thinking he is more like 1915-20 era ?
My guess is my grandmother was about 8-10 years old in the photo of her holding the bear and she was born in 1897 so that puts the bear at about 1907ish? 1915-1920 would make my grandmother an adult in the photo ( I will try to dig it up) and she was definitely not that old in the picture. To answer your other question, his head doesn't turn but his arms and legs are jointed at the point where they attach to the body. My grandmother's family was well off from what I have heard so she would most likely have a high quality or more expensive toy
Can I see legs and a side view ? I also need to see stitching on paws .
I uploaded a few new photos. I was wrong about the head, it does swivel. The bear has been in our family for well a 100 years and I never realized it's head turned until now. I am afraid to handle it too much as its so old though it has held up well over the years
Wow beautiful bear with the family history and a picture to help with it's age; can make it worth much more, so please keep a copy and story with this bear for future reference. History is an added bonus. I think he looks like an American bear. Hecla or Ideal. I found an advertisement for Heclas from 1907 stating that they are equal to Steiff. Sizes ranging from 11" to 24". Best of luck with this mystery!
Thanks for the input. Looking at the Hecla and Ideal bears online, my guess is it's a Hecla as none of the Ideal bears looked like it and quite a few of the Heclas did. Not sure if there was an exact match as there are alot of varieties out there but it gives me a jumping off point.
Hello - there were so many bear manufacturers that it makes it hard to trace their exact manufacturer. I found a site: bearsandbuds.com Since Ken Yenke passed away, his wife Brenda does appraisals. It might be worth doing for this bear. I purchased an Ideal bear that she appraised and keep the paperwork with it. If you get an appraisal, please let us know! Best Wishes