Collectible Antique Teddy Bears

By: Rick Lee Click author's name for more of his/her articles

The antique teddy bears date back to 1902. This all started when the Washington Post printed a cartoon that showed President Theodore Roosevelt sparing the life of a bear during one of his hunts.

The image of antique teddy bears was originally created by a shopkeeper´s wife. This small business was owned by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company and because of the popularity of the collectible antique teddy bears, teddy bear collection became such a hit.

A lot of antique teddy bears factories have been producing different designs of these collectibles for years now. In fact, there are some that have been in the business for over 100 years.

The new factories mimic the old styles of the factories that have been around longer. If you are collecting antique teddy bears, you should be sure that what you are getting are actually vintage designs, if you are paying at a vintage price.

Collectors of antique teddy bears are on the lookout for those distinctive buttons behind the ears. This is because it is the trademark of Steiff, a manufacturer of antique teddy bears that has collaborated with German manufacturers.

It was in 1903 when an American buyer viewed these at the Leipzig Fair and imported several thousands. Those faithful collectors see these as treasures.

Nowadays, the newer antique teddy bears that are collectible are those that have been restored. They call these the "heirloom" bears. These are the damaged or unwanted stuffed bears that have been restored.

In fact, some collectors have these restored at a cheap rate and add these to their collection. They see the results as extraordinary. Sometimes, these bears have movable hips, shoulder joints, and necks which add character to the appearance of the toys.

Then there are the hand sewn eyes as well as the embroidered noses which make them pretty special for any collector. Manufacturers also add special features such as big, shiny bow ties on the necks. If these are given as gifts, it is the perfect touch to it.

For affordable antique teddy bears, collectors seek "Rare Bears." These are very cuddly and are made with mink. They are manufactured in different combinations and whenever they show up in stores, people flock these.

Then there are the new antique teddy bears collectibles like the Boyd´s series. These are stuffed bears that have a wide variety of characters. These are very in demand especially during the Holiday seasons.

They also have other occasional themes which come with the human personalities and human poses. The attentions to details as well as the clever costuming are the reasons why these antique teddy bears are very desirable.