A fantastic collection of Steiff limited edition teddy bears will be on display. These bears are marketed as:- "A Bear Full of Personality!"
If you do not already know what Steiff bears are, they are toys that hold their value and even increase in value over time. Old bears that are in good condition can sell for hundreds of Pounds! One such 1909 bear, listed at Christie's Auction House, in London, UK, has an estimated value between:- £404.80 to £622.78. Others are known to be even higher, like the:- 'Red Sea Crossing - Atari' that sold for:- £8,549.00!
The firm Steiff started in Germany, when a German seamstress, Margarete Steiff, in 1880, founded Margarete Steiff GmbH. This firm became more widely known simply as Steiff. The Steiff bear was to become the Bear​ of America due to its connection to President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was:- "Teddy."
Consequently, this toy bear played a major role in the success of the Steiff Bears. The story goes that back in 1903, Richard Steiff, who was the nephew of Margarete, designed a soft toy made of mohair. This toy was reported to have been inspired by a cartoon of American President Theodore Roosevelt, "Teddy." Oddly, Richard Steiff just called it:- "Bear 55PB!" However, these toys were an immediate success, and lead to the founding of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. It is also why we call these toys:- "teddy bears" still to this day!
The history of these toys even includes a connection to the Titanic. In the aftermath of the disaster, a British toy retailer ordered black Steiff teddy bears to bring comfort to the public. Unsurprisingly they did not sell well and only 494, in 5 different sizes were ever made.
Steiff Bears have a distinctive button sewn onto their ears. Interestingly this simple mark also makes them very collectible, as it was 1 of the 1st trademarks of the 20th Century. The button was used to protect Steiff products from imitation and plagiarism. The Steiff knopf-im-ohr "Button in Ear" was invented by Franz Steiff, Margarete's nephew, in 1904.
