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Posts: 20It was the year, 2003, in San Francisco, Ca. There I was standing in a very long line, holding my old Teddy Bear. People everywhere, turning their heads, pointing at my bear. Asking me, do you what to sell that bear? No, no, no, I replied! As my turn finally arrived in front of the Appraiser, an older gentleman. For the whole one minuite, he looked at my bear. He kept his thumb nail on my Teddy's eyes, getting the feel of it. Glass eyes he said, made in the 1920s, probably German made, very well made, valued at $1600. Next, please. Years later, I find out with my intense research, how wrong he was! Today I see on this modern computer, pictures of the laughing Theodore Roosevelt Bear, circa 1907, New York has the same glass eyes as my old bear. In books these glass eyes with a large black pupils are dated 1903 to 1913.
It was the year, 2003, in San Francisco, Ca. There I was standing in a very long line, holding my old Teddy Bear. People everywhere, turning their heads, pointing at my bear. Asking me, do you what to sell that bear? No, no, no, I replied! As my turn finally arrived in front of the Appraiser, an older gentleman. For the whole one minuite, he looked at my bear. He kept his thumb nail on my Teddy's eyes, getting the feel of it. Glass eyes he said, made in the 1920s, probably German made, very well made, valued at $1600. Next, please. Years later, I find out with my intense research, how wrong he was! Today I see on this modern computer, pictures of the laughing Theodore Roosevelt Bear, circa 1907, New York has the same glass eyes as my old bear. In books these glass eyes with a large black pupils are dated 1903 to 1913.
Well, without any evidence in the form of the bear itself, who can say otherwise? You're forever left judging by what pictures you can find. Still, here's to hoping you can find something which approximates him. But I ask you, why is his monetary worth so important?
-- Thomas Adam
Posts: 20Hello, Thomas. Over the past two years of indepth research on my bear, body style. He is to my belief a very early, undocumented, Ideal Teddy Bear. I believe with all my heart he is older than the Smithsonian Bear. I date the Smithsonian Bear 1905/1906 because of his longer arms, softer body, rounded foot pads and loose skin as in mass production. The Smithsonian Bear was not designed to stand upright by himself. And much less detailes in his face. My old teddy is very stiff, hard bodied, very tight skined and his front closing seem is sewn in puckers, not streight up at all. There is no documentation on very early, Ideal teddy's because they did not survive. So few were hand made by the Michtoms, they just didn't survive. All documentation on early Ideal bears are from their mass production styles. From 1905, 1906 etc. The volume of mass production is the reason these early bears survived from Steiff and Ideal. I do realize the Smithsonian dates their bear from 1903. But the hand sewn teddy's from Rose Michtom, are only documented as a Legend, 1903 and 1904 are Legendary Teddy Bears. In my research, the world has no examples of these early bears. My old Teddy belongs in the Smithsonian Instatute. This is the monetary value I put on my bear. He is an American Icon. I thank you for your comment.
PennsylvaniaAntiques Roadshow or not, I don't think anybody can properly appraise a Bear in only one minute.
Sure, the guy probably only had a minute to spare with 1,000 other people standing in line waiting to take their turn but time pressure and television production constraints aside, I don't think you got a proper appraisal. If a guy has to scratch a Bear's eye to tell if it is glass or not, he can't be be very knowledgeable. You can tell, with 90% certainty, just by looking and gently touching. To be 100% sure it takes a 10 power magnifier and a bright light.
I'm not saying your Bear is an Ideal Toy Company original but I think you should get a proper appraisal where the person can get a good look at the Bear and have a little conversation with him and find out more.
A Teddy Bear appraiser who doesn't know how to treat his clients with respect isn't a very respectable appraiser in my book.
BTW: "Teddy's Bear" The ORIGINAL Teddy's Bear isn't the first toy Bear to be made. It is the first Bear named "Teddy" by permission of the president. It is not the Bear and it's not the name "Teddy." It is the fact that Morris Michtom wrote a letter to the President and got a reply. Yes, your Bear might very well be older than "Teddy's Bear" but it is provenance that is key.
Posts: 20Hello, Us Bears, Yes , I agree, I need to have my old bear appraised. I have writen several experts in the field but no reply. Including Museums in New York, San Francisco. In the Teddy Bear World, seems to me, the famous authors and experts are in hiding, hard to contact. This is where I thought Teddy Talk might help me connect with knowledgeable appraiser. This takes time, I will be patient. The primary purpose of provenance is to conferm or gather evidence as to the time, place. Yes, this is exactly what I am doing in my research. The world accepts the Smithsonian Bear as being the original Teddy Bears along with the 1903 and 1904 Steiff Bears. With my intense research, I have concluded there is a missing link. which is the very first hand-sewn Teddy's from Morris and Rose Michtom. If I didn't have this old teddy bear of mine, I could care less. But I have discovered, my old Teddy is key evedence to the legendary bear.
PennsylvaniaThe Smithsonian's Bear *IS* the original "Teddy's Bear" because he is the first Bear named "Teddy."
That does not mean that there weren't any toy Bears prior to "Teddy's Bear." Neither does it mean that "Teddy's Bear" is the first Bear made by the Michtoms.
Toy Bears were becoming quite fashionable in the early 1900's. Many people started making them but only a few of them were famous. It is hard to believe that Rose Michtom dreamed up a toy Bear, all of a sudden, without seeing or hearing about other people making toy Bears. Furthermore, it is just as hard to believe that "Teddy's Bear" was the first Bear she ever made. I just can't imagine that she woke up one day and sewed a toy bear, right out of the blue, and he became an overnight sensation.
The Michtoms were business people. Morris ran a candy store and, later, founded a toy company. His wife was surely tuned in to her husband's occupation if not a participant in it. They were riding the crest of a wave but, lacking Divine intervention, "Teddy's Bear" couldn't have been the Michtoms' first Bear.
That, having been said, this is not going to be a slam dunk case. You're going to have to have proof. The world's top experts might not know of this Bear. Even a top appraiser would not be expected to know. The burden of proof is on you.
If you can find a photo of this Bear in the hands of one of the Michtoms, that would be proof. Fail that, a letter or a bill of sale, a newspaper article or something like that is what you'll need. Testimony from a family member or a descendant would be a good thing to have but, as convincing as it is, it's not conclusive.
Appraisers, museum personnel or other Teddy Bear experts might not even be able to help you. They can tell you things about the Bear only from what they know or what they can see. You're probably not going to be able to get anybody to say, "This is *THE* Bear." You're going to have to do some digging, yourself.
Talk to the experts, of course. However, instead of asking them to verify your Bear's pedigree, ask them to help you find out.
Hit the newspapers of the time. There were dozens of papers in New York at the time. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, for instance. Read catalogs, books and magazines. Look for records in Libraries, Archives and Museums.
If you really want to prove this, you've got your work cut out for you but don't be afraid if you come up empty or even discover that he is not *the* Bear. Learning the truth is more important than proving something just because you want it to be true.
Something just occurred to me. If you really want to find out about this Bear, Antiques Road Show probably isn't the best place to look. You need to get in touch with the producers of another TV show on PBS: "The History Detectives!" :D
