Here's A Delightful Steiff Auction "Tip" For You!

In the mood for a little trip across the pond? Steiffgal has just learned of a very exciting Teddy bear sale to be held on December 3, 2024 through Special Auction Services in Newbury in the U.K. The items under the hammer are all from the collection of Ian Pout, the founder of the legendary store Teddy Bears of Witney. This mecca, which unquestionably tops the short list of must visit places for cub collectors worldwide, opened in 1985 and was the first retailer in the U.K. to specialize in antique, vintage, and new Teddy bears. Ian is pictured here on the left, the image is from Special Auction Services.

Steiffgal has visited the Teddy Bears of Whitney at least twice. The first time, in the very early 2000s, she made the voyage to Witney from London solo, traveling on a series of trains and buses to get to the store. She remembers spending hours in the cozy space, viewing old and new Teds, and how magical it was to see the original red mohair Alphonso in person. Ian Pout was there, and was incredibly gracious and kind, touring her around the museum parts of the store. The next time Steiffgal went, it was with friends, so the fun was multiplied many times over. She and her fellow collectors also spent hours oohing and ahhing over the temptations on display. Of course, all left with at least one shopping bag of souvenirs! You can see a photo of this beloved destination here on the left, the image is from www.cotswolds.com. 

Now back to the sale. There is a preview of highlights from the event already listed at https://www.specialauctionservices.com/Auction-Calendar/2024/A-Special-Teddy-Bear-Collection, and Steiffgal suspects that the auction company will continue to post more as the collection is cataloged, photographed, and prepared for sale. It is a lot of work and very time consuming to prepare precious objects for sale - especially of this caliber - so patience is everything here. But, from what has been made public already, it is clear that Steiff factors heavily in the collection, with rare button-in-ear examples that also have amazing and universally recognized histories taking many of the top lot slots at this event. 

One thrilling highlight from this sale is Happy, a roaring 20s-era bear with so many tales to tell. According to Special Auction Services, this marvelous example is noted as, "Happy, a rare large eyed brown tipped Steiff teddy bear from circa 1926, which sold at Sotheby’s in 1989 for a world record auction price of £55,000 ($86,000) and bought by Paul Volpp for his wife Rosemary as an anniversary present. An enchanting girl bear with real presence, has since travelled the world raising over $100,000 for charity." She carries a presale estimate of £20,000-30,000. It is Steiffgal's understanding that the underbidder for Happy in 1989 was none other than a member of the British Royal Family! You can see this Happy here on the left, the image is from Special Auction Services. 

Happy dates from a joyful time in the company's product development history - the mid to late 1920s. It was during this era that several of Steiff's beloved named, novelty bears were introduced. These included Teddy Rose, Teddy Clown, Petsy, Teddy Baby, and of course, Happy! Happy was produced for a short time - from 1926-1927 only - in relatively low numbers. As such, examples are very few and far between on the secondary market. That is one of the reasons that this fine Ted - who is truly the package in so many ways - should catch the eyes and pocketbooks of collectors and historians worldwide. For context and comparison, the most recent Happy public auctions sale Steiffgal could find dates from a few years ago. A 51 cm example in fine condition hammered for 20500€ at Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's Fall, 2022 sale. You can see that Ted pictured here on the left. 

For more information on this upcoming Teddy Bears of Whitney Sale, follow SAS' Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Specialauctionservices or check out their website at www.specialauctionservices.com.

Steiffgal hopes this auction announcement has put you in a very Happy mood indeed. 

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