A Guide to Collectible Bears

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The origin of the teddy bear goes back to 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt was in a hunting excursion in Mississippi. When he declined to shoot a fatigued bear tired to a tree, announcing it to be unsportsmanlike, the Washington Post reported the occasion.

A resulting editorial cartoon drew the attention of the public and after a short time, a venturesome Brooklyn seller exploited the opportunity. Merchant Morris Michtom’s wife hand made a few plush toy bears loaded down with excelsior and adorned with dark shoe button eyes. After obtaining Roosevelt’s blessing, they were named “Teddy’s Bears.” The fluffy bears become quite popular and as demand expanded, more and more people started collecting bears. If you are looking to collect bears, here is a quick guide to collectible bears.

Identification

Teddy bear identification is essential for any genuine teddy bear collector, particularly as there are some counterfeit antique bears in the market. Tragically, numerous collectible and antique bears have lost their tags and labels and this implies that other attributes must be taken into considerations to attempt to identify the bear’s origins.

Research

There basically is not anything that can supplant research and experience when it comes to teddy bear identification. So it is imperative that you read however much as could reasonably be expected about teddy bears and their manufacturers. Try to see and handle as many old bears as possible to give you an idea about they look and feel like. Going to auctions, antique shops, and teddy bear fairs will allow you to see and handle these bears. It will likewise give you the chance of conversing with specialists in the field of arctophily. After some time it will become instinctive for you to determine whether a bear is genuine and who the possible manufacturer is.

Valuation

An important thing to keep in mind is that just because a bear has a high value does not necessarily imply that it is valuable. A bear like Bailey, for instance, has increased her value to about more than 29 times her original price! You may feel that Fleurette Bear having a recorded value of $700 is ‘more valuable’ however when you crunch the numbers, you will see that her worth had just increased 28 times her original price. Different considerations likewise apply. Bailey was mass created while with the Fleurette Bear, there were just 6 made, consequently making her uncommon and more difficult to find. That is the more vital variable which makes her the more valuable bear. Buy a giant teddy bear now!

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