Collectible Teddy Bears for Sale

Since 1902, when Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a captive bear, teddy bears have been the favorite child toy and collectible teddy bears a popular hobby. Every newborn is given a bear, even several, by doting relations. Many remain throughout our lives, tattered, missing eyes and limbs, but always loved. Priceless to their owner if not the collectors' market.

There are now a number of brands that are highly collectible. The most well known being the German Steiff company. These fully jointed bears were instantly popular when they were first produced in 1902 and to protect the brand Steiff introduced the ear button in 1904, making these delightful bears immediately recognisable. Early Steiff in good condition fetch high prices, but for the new collector unable to afford the early bears, the Steiff company still produce high quality bears, the antiques of the future.

Other names to watch out for are Farnell and Bing. One manufacturer came up with a clever idea for recycling old, mink coats and produced a line of “Rare Bears”. Modern Boyd bears are very popular and affordable.

If you are fortunate enough to live near an auction room or a regular antique fair, you will often find collectable teddy bears for sale. Otherwise online auctions are good places to look. If you are a novice collector, online auctions will give you a good idea of the most popular bears and the right price to pay for them. You may be competing with the rest of the world when you bid, but online sellers do not have the overhead costs of a retail antique shop and the price will often reflect this, depending on how keen the other bidders are.