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Churton M Jun 15, 2016

I was recently given this little bear as a gift and am keen to find more about him. His 23cm tall (so quite small) he has glass eyes which are orange/dark yellow with black centre, his definitely mohair which is quite thick all be it grubby. His paw pads look to be a thick cotton or canvas (look to be original; if they have been replaced it was done a long time ago as they are equally as grubby and aged). He has 3 sewn claws on each paw and is cotter pin jointed (2 have ceased up). I'm not sure what his stuffed with but its definitely not straw, his arms have no holes and yet they seem almost empty so not sure if the stuffing, what ever it is, has disintegrated?
Any info or suggestions on how to get more info would be much appreciated

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SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJun 15, 2016

In my opinion, it bears (ha) some resemblance to old Chiltern teddies.  The only thing that doesn't fit is that the nose doesn't appear to have the two stitches on either side.  Could be that the nose was re-sewn at some time.  Hope this helps.

dangerbears Jun 16, 2016

I love a good mystery...    Your bear initially reminded me of the Dutch Van Gelden bears, and I'm still not sure he's made of mohair, but if you're sure, I think I found his brother here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/235094898/ … _active_19 The seller identifies this little bear as German, but the arms are so very short! Now I'm siding with Sue Ann and thinking the bear is probably English, and possibly from a lesser known maker.

Regarding the unusual stuffing situation, during wartime shortages, bearmakers would use "sub" stuffing such as cut-up foam, which could have disintegrated over time. Anyway, he's a cutie and was a nice gift!

Becky

EJ Jun 16, 2016

Yes, I would think with those little short arms, he's english (And Becky definitely found his twin on etsy).  I wonder though if he were cleaned up somewhat or brushed, if it would be easier to identify???  Not that i would know how to do that!

Churton M Jun 16, 2016

Oh my goodness Becky your find is an amazing likeness to my little bear! I'm pretty sure he is mohair but then some of that assumption is on that faux fur from his era was pretty poor quality and you would be able to tell the difference. There is a tiny little hole in the back of his head and I'm tempted to stick a cotton bud in it to see if I can get a sample of his insides 
Thank you all for your thoughts; you have certainly given me some trails to start looking into for finding my little bears origin.

Many hugs