My First Auction Bears

I have never purchased bears from an auction before, but thought I would try my hand when a collection of well worn bears were listed at a local one.
Most lots went well above my 'absentee' bids.  I couldn't attend in person as I was 100 miles away looking after my Grandsons.  However I managed to get 2 lots and this great hug of bears came home with me. :)

Pedigree mohair, Unkown plush, Lefray mohair

Lefray plush, Deans mohair, Chad Valley mohair

 The first to have a makeover was this little Pedigree bear.  He is not in bad condition, and just needed a good clean and brush.  He is available in my Etsy shop.



Next came this big English plush bear with a deep growl who I named Big Boy.

He was listed on Etsy and sold within 24 hours to a customer of mine who lives in Japan.  As we speak, he is winging his way overseas, as he was posted yesterday.  He caused a bit of amusement in the Post Office as every time his parcel was tipped over he complained in his deep growly voice.

The next to be mended and cleaned up was the Lefray plush bear.

His arm needed a new joint and while I was at it I took a look at his non working squeaker.  He can now make a little squeak with a poke in the tummy (not surprising, it would make me squeak if someone did that to me!).  He is listed in my Etsy shop.

I have started mending the paws of the Chad Valley bear, but his hand paws will need patches.

The 1930's Deans bear I looked at late one night and got so engrossed in sorting out his problems that it was past midnight before I got to bed!  He needs a new head joint, and new hand paws.  He only had one ear so I have found suitable mohair in my offcuts and dyed it as close as I can to the original.  The original two pieces of ear will form the fronts of his 2 new ears, with the dyed pieces at the back.  I think he will be a handsome bear when he is finished.

Finally, the Lefray mohair bear, who needs his arm joints mending.

So, between restoring these. and making up a stock of little Pud Bears, I will be busy for a few weeks. :)  If you would like to know when these bears and the new artist bears go on sale, go to my FB page and 'like' it to get updates on the bears' progress.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pud-Bears-and-Pollys-Vintage-Bears/174222365967942

My Etsy shops are  www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears and www.etsy.com/shop/pollyspinsandneedles

 

A Bear That has me Baffled

I have this cute little bear that has me puzzled as to her origins.

She has a sweet face, with quite close set eyes and a prominent dainty nose with black stitching.
Her arms look very Chiltern, but not her legs.  Could she be a Chad Valley, as some of their bears were made similar to Chiltern. 
Her head is fixed as in some of the Pedigree bears I have come across, but she really doesn't look from this 'stable'.

Her golden mohair fur is in quite a good condition, the main areas of concern being her feet pads.
They have been replaced, but not attached very neatly, so I will redo them.  Her paw pads are worn, but not enough to need replacing in my opinion.
Any suggestions as to her maker?  She is one of those bears that I look at, and look at and just can't decide who she is. :(

 

A Shaggy Bear and a Sooty Bear Make Friends

I really like these two bears, they just seem to go together.

Poor Sooty Bear had been decapitated with  a broken neck joint.  Apart from that and a good brushing, he was in good condition.
His friend, Shaggy Bear had lovely long golden mohair that was quite matted and covered his eyes.  He had lost his smile, and  his voice too.

Here they are getting to know each other as they waited for their repairs and cleaning.

-----and here are the happy pair having a cuddle after 'surgery'.  Just look at Shaggy Bears smile, he can see and growl now (not as loud as when he was young), and is fit and ready to go to a new, loving home.

 They will be available (as separate listings) in my Etsy shop later on today.
I love this job :) :)
 

My New Finds - Roddy Doll and Berg Bear

It is very rare that I find any toys in an antique shop that I like enough to buy.  They are either not really old enough or much too expensive for what they are.
We went for a ride out yesterday to Bungay in Suffolk near where we used to live.  It is a lovely little town with a Buttercross in it's centre, a thriving market café, and enough little shops to keep me occupied browsing (and occasionally buying). 
We called into the café for a roast lamb dinner which was very good as usual and looked around a large antique emporium.  I was very impressed at how well kept and organised it was, and much to my surprise, found a Roddy doll and Berg miniature bear that I just couldn't leave behind.
I sat them on the table when I got home against a strange dog that I received last week.
The doll and dog looked as if they belonged together, so I took photos.

The little group of friends
 



The dog is a mystery, I have no idea of his maker.  He has a long tongue that hangs out of his mouth and a tail that curls over his back.
The pretty Roddy doll is 11 inches with her original dress.  Her hair is a bit thin at the back as many of these type of old doll wigs are.  I may try making her a cape and hat to go with her lacy dress.
The miniature bear is white mohair and has glass eyes and still has his tiny metal heart shaped tag with Berg on the back.
Look out for them in a few days when they will be listed in my Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintage Bears

Hermann Bears With a New Lease of Life

I have a group of Hermann bears in my Etsy shop at the moment. Three of them are from around the 1950's.
The first one though is a more modern example that I would not have recognised as a Hermann bear, but I am told on good authorisation that he is.  He is definitely a German bear.
This cute chap is really cuddly with a good covering of mohair. 

 



SOLD

 The next is this cheerful open mouthed bear with his black dog.  He is not jointed, but sits quite happily if leaning on something.
I had to remove his head (sorry if you are squeamish, I hated doing it) and stitch it back on again as it was in danger of falling off.
He has a squeaker that works when it feels like it!


This grumpy looking growling Hermann bear stands very straight (with a bit of help from me) and looks very proud of his little bell.  He is a serious soul, but very cuddly with his beautiful long pile mohair.  I had to do some extensive repairs to his paws, practically having to replace the left one as can be seen if you look carefully at the photo.  He is probably my favourite of this group of Hermanns.  As with other damaged paws I tried to leave as much of the original fabric in place and just slip the new underneath and stitch in place with tiny invisible (I hope) stitches.

This is the last of the German bears to date.  I am not sure if this one is actually a Hermann bear, but he is definitely from that area of Germany, as there are many similarities in his design.  He is not mohair, but a soft plush which has cleaned and brushed up very well.

All of the above bears are available for sale in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

along with many other bears and vintage toys.

My 'To Do' Box of Bears

I didn't realise I was building up a box full of restoration projects until I removed them from the corner of the store area and put them all together in a box.

The Teddy Hospital 'Waiting Room'

They are now huddled together in their cosy box waiting to see who is first to be mended/cleaned ready for a new home.  They've probably got the right idea, it is freezing here on the East Coast of England.  The cold, biting wind blowing off the sea doesn't seem to want to go away and it has felt so cold it hurts your eyes to walk into it (the wind).
Let me introduce you to the residents of the box :-

Minibrix Bear

This handsome chap is a Minibrix bear.  I have never come across one before and I would say he is pretty rare. He has a label tucked under his (very damaged) arm that says 'Minibrix Hygenic Toys' Apparently the firm usually made toy bricks (like Lego, but rubber), but made a few other toys between 1959-1961, then the factory caught fire and they ceased production.
I thought he was a Lefray bear until I saw his label. Has anyone else come across one of these bears?

Leather nosed bear SOLD and grey Chiltern cat

The grey cat is a Chiltern.  These were made in at least two sizes, this being the larger one.  He needs a good clean and brushing, but his fur is quite thick and his felt ears are all intact.  They sometimes look as if the cat has been in a fight with the local alley cats!  He (or she) also has the original pink ribbon.
The chubby bear is one that my husband found at a boot fair.  I have no idea at the moment who made him but he is a cute little chap with a kind face. He could be a one off home made bear, anytime from the 1950's  to 1980's - one to research I think.

The red duo came in job lot boxes. The rabbit is really cute with his big red ears and little felt coat.  There are no makers labels on him so, again no idea who made him.  There is quite a bit of delicate stitching still to do on his red felt.  I did make a start and then got waylaid with another project.

The pretty little red and white bear has a label, and is made by 'Acme Hygenic Toys'.  He is very lightweight and just requires a few stitches to his seams.  He has the most beautiful red eyes.


The scruffy looking Chiltern cartoon bear with the dirty face needs a good clean and brush.
His companion is a small Chiltern from c1940's.  He has his facial features intact, but needs 'surgery' on a large hole at the side of his nose (see close up). 

This is another bear purchased by my husband.  He needs a matching pair of eyes.  Again, I think he could be a one off home made bear.

And of course, not forgetting the large Chiltern Hugmee bear that I have named George.  He needs major surgery on one of his foot pads and eyes.  Also a good clean to his mohair.


I think I have got a busy time ahead, sorting out this little lot.  There are also a couple of dog nightdress cases to tidy up and two miniature baby dolls to dress. 

Pedigree Patsy - The Restoration Process

I have tried to take a few photos as I was restoring this next bear.
She came to me in a sorry state.  I think she had been living in an attic for quite a few years and had got very dirty and dusty.  Her nose was gone completely, although there were stitches where it would have been.

What a sorry state to be in - poor girl!
(this is the photo I bought her from)



You can clearly see where the
original nose was

I have seen one or two of these 1950's Pedigree bears now, enough to recognise one, even in her poor condition.  It confirmed to me that she was indeed a Pedigree when I saw the stitches where her original felt nose would have been stitched.

She spent the first 48 hours in a carrier bag in my spare freezer, to kill of any bugs or beetles larvae that may be in her stuffing.  My grandsons are quite amused that Nanny keeps bears and such in her freezer.


The next job was to clean her, I could see that she was originally a pretty cinnamon colour as it was still bright in her ear seams.  She stayed in her dry bath for 24 hours to allow any smells to be drawn away into it.  I do not usually leave the bears in the 'bath' this long, but she was exceptionally grubby.

I then sat on the swing seat outside with a fine tooth comb and my trusty bristle hairbrush (it is quite old and I'm not sure where it came from, but it does the job well).  An hour or so later and the dry oats had been brushed and combed out of her mohair and she looked much cleaner and fluffier.

She had some sort of sound box inside her, and I investigated to see if it could be mended.  It was a huge growler and had just come apart.  A bit of cleaning and sticking back together and it worked again.  Not as good as it would have done, but hey, she gives a little growl when tipped!

Stitching up after a major operation, look away if you are squeamish

The next job was to mend her poorly arm and leg.  A few stitches did the trick on the leg, but the arm took a bit longer to fix.

Her arm was nearly off

This had been roughly stitched with black cotton

 

An ultrasuede black nose, a bit classier than her original felt one, but she deserved it after her ordeal. Then her mouth stitches back in place and she was ready to face the world in her pretty new dress.

Pedigree Patsy, available at www.etsy.com/shop/pollysvintagebears