Banner Sponsors

Tami E Sep 26, 2006

Lots of good points, folks!  :clap:  :clap:
Here's my tip for the collector who wants "security of investment"
Collectors who are interested in "investing" in bears should buy Steiff or R. John Wright.  Seriously. I am not at all trying to say that the beautiful artwork created by all the teddy bear artists out there, award winning or not is not highly valuable. To me it is. But if I purchase a stunning work of art from an artist, I have no intention of selling it. It would be great to know that when I "kick the bucket" my sons could sell it for at least as much if not more than I bought it for, but that doesn't happen often and for me that's not a reason to buy it.
Steiff and R. John Wright bears are the only bears I have ever seen that maintain or increase their value on the secondary market. I have seen many times award winning artists' work for resale on ebay by a collector and it does not go as high as it did when the artist sold it.  recently I saw two little bears I had made years ago become "ebay orphans"    They didn't even sell for their original price . The secondary market is a fickle thing.

Jodi Falk Sep 26, 2006

  When collecting buy what you love and don't worry about the rest !!! Then if your stuck with it down the road you STILL LOVE IT !!! A Win , win !!! Agree???

Eileen Sep 26, 2006

Oh well there is always next year to kick beary butt.

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Exactly!!

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

I think the competitions are great--they spur creativity among Bear Artists,  and promote the whole beary enterprise, and stir excitement among collectors and creators alike.

At the same time, there's a special thrill in getting a happy email from a buyer who treasures your work and finds it even better than expected.

I think there's plenty of room for all kinds of affirmation--competitions, personal satisfaction in achievement, one-on-one gestures of recognition--the whole spectrum.

Any kind of judged competition is going to be less than perfectly objective. What is objective, anyway? The judges are as vulnerable to trends and fashions as anyone else, but from what I've seen, they reward innovative design as readily as they reward flavors of the month. For example, anime bears are something new, and seem to have a wide appeal. Whether or not they last as long as traditional teds, who knows? But they're a well-accepted style for the near future.

I'd certainly be over the moon if I won any award . . .  got to get the act together and enter a competition first . . .