I genuinely believe that collecting teddy bears is the most enjoyable hobby you could possibly have.
Not only are they beautiful in their own right, but there's also the fascination of how they have evolved over the past century, surviving many other fads, to become the world's favourite toy. Everyone can relate to a teddy bear - their faces are irresistible and they all have a personality of their own. Look at a row of supposedly identical bears on a shelf, and there will be one that you know is looking straight at you and willing you to take him home.
A lot of teddy bears born in Germany at the beginning of the century have given lots of pleasure and have then grown up to earn lots of money for their owners. Some that are born today will do the same for their owners, but which ones? Now there is a question. Quality and rarity are factors that always come into the equation. Something that will also start to have a bearing on the value will be the substance from which the bear is made; no longer will cloth be the only material used to make them, pottery, concrete, plastic and precious metals will all play a part in people’s fascination with the teddy bear. Another factor that will play a part in a bear’s rise to fame will be whether they make it in story form in print and more especially as a cartoon character on TV or the Internet, all this will be dependent on the bear’s personality and their family.

The 1904 cinnamon Steiff bear was originally bought in the same year for Lt. Col. Bob Henderson on the day that he was born. Henderson, who died in 1990, founded the Good Bears of the World, a charity that gives teddy bears to sick and lonely children. So much pleasure is given by teddy bears.

Teddy bears started in 1903 when a cartoon appeared in an American newspaper depicting American President Theodore ;Teddy; Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub that his hosts had tied to a tree so the president would not be left without a kill on a hunting excursion. Soon after this, an enterprising novelty shop owner in Brooklyn, New York, made some toy bears and put them in his window calling them Teddys Bear. They became so popular that they soon sold out. A company called the Ideal Toy company was established to capitalise on the new found excitement. At this time 1903 the Steiff toy company, started by Margaret Steiff in Giengen near Stuttgart in southern Germany had just started producing soft toys with movable heads, arms and legs. She tried out several prototypes including a jointed chimpanzee and tried several colours browny,yellow, red, black, blue, apricot and green. The toys, made from mohair, were filled with wood shavings. It seemed natural to produce teddy bears so they were modelled on the bears in Stuttgart zoo. Steiff bears always had a distinctive button in their left ear and have become the desirable of bears to collect, selling one million bears in their first year of manufacture. Bing, another German manufacturer, joined Steiff and dominated the market. With the onset of war in 1914 German goods were banned from Britain so opening up the bear market for manufacturers such as Harwin, Chad Valley and Chiltern. These bears have now become very good investments. Look out for rare animals such as dogs, elephants, rabbits and pigs made by the famous names.

The most famous bear Winnie the Pooh&, sits alongside friends Kanga, Eeyor, Piglet and Tigger in the New York library. Pooh, the world's favourite teddy was made by Farnell, Britain's foremost soft toy maker. Other bears have come along during the years and made a name for themselves, one such is Rupert, the white bear created for the Daily Express by Bestall. Another is Paddington, the bear found on Paddington Railway station, London, having just come from Peru. Sooty Harry Corbett's bear is another bear that will be with us for years to come. However, one piece of advice I would give to any collector is not to buy a bear just because he's a good investment. You should only buy a teddy bear that really 'speaks' to you, one you just know has to go home with you and become part of the family. Always remember, collect for pleasure not for profit.

On my Web-Pages I have tried to give a broad outline of what is available at the present time to start or add to an collection as well as show other aspects of the world of Teddy Bears. I am always pleased to hear from other collectors so if you want to show your collection send details and pictures to me by Email and I will try to include these on my Web Side.

Please email me at:  [email protected]

Sources of information can be gained from The British Teddy Bear Association, PO Box 290, Brighton, BN2 1DR. Monthly magazines such as The Teddy Bear Times, Teddy Bear Club, Hugglets and Teddy Bear Scene give further reading. Sites are appearing on the net with http://www.teddy-bear-uk.com being a start.