No doubt you have bears from all corners of the world, of different ages and made from different materials and with different values. I’m also sure if you are a collector, even if you have not done any restoration work, that you will have least kept them in the best condition possible. So how can you make money if you are unsure of their value?
Buying And Selling Antique Bears
The simple answer is probably to buy a good reference guide book that will list the most collectible and popular bears. You certainly need to know what you are looking for in terms of identifying certain bears, but once you have an idea, get yourself off to those second-hand shops, flea markets and auctions. At first you may like to take the book with you to sneak a look in a corner but after a bit of practice, you’ll soon get the hang of what is of value and what is not. Also keep an eye on Ebay and more particularly the lesser known auction sites and Craigs List for example. As Ebay attracts the big dealers, it may just be wise to see what’s there and the end result rather than bid yourself.
The most collectible names to look for are Steiff, Ideal, Chad Valley, Farnell, Merrythought, Hermann and Chiltern.
When it comes to selling your bears, get as much of their general and personal history as you can. Not only will this make you sound knowledgable, it will give people confidence to buy from you. And if you can’t bring yourself to sell your newly acquired antique bear, you can always keep it safe yourself!
Now what kind of condition is it in? Does it have worn spots where it has been played with? Please stand back and look at the antique teddy bear like a buyer and not a seller. Some wear is acceptable, but not as a rule.
What kind of joints does it have if it has joints at all? Some bears are called jointed because the arms and legs move. Is there any missing pieces? Eyes and mouths and even arms and legs are sometimes missing. Do you have the part that fell off? If so keep it handy as it can be repaired.
What type of eyes does your antique teddy bear have? Glass or shoe button eyes or sewn on eyes? This will be relevant to the age of the bear. Does the bear have a button or the remains of one in its left ear? If it does have a button it may be a Steiff teddy bear and this is very good for a high appraisal. Measure the bears height. The height also adds to value.
Now that you know alot about your bear, write it down and go to your favorite . Use the information you have obtained to compare your bear to ones that are for sale. Always keep an eye on completed listings and use these to determine your antique teddy bear’s worth.
When you start your vintage bear collecting, remember that quality is always key to value. As a beginner collector, you probably won’t have the skills you need for restoration, so unless you really love that tatty old bear, wait for another. If it was a well-loved bear, it’s bound to have signs of wear which adds to the charm for many. Watch out for replacement parts, stiff joints and new clothes as these detract from their value.
Although Steiff come with buttons that are easily recognisable and show their authenticity, many of the worthwhile bears do not have this tell-tale tag. Sometimes these may have been removed for safety reasons with young children. If they have been removed, it is sometimes possible to see where they were because of indentations in the fabric or little bits of different fabric in the seam line.
All makes of bears have different markings, so you may wish to purchase a book on vintage bear collecting that will clearly explain the features that you need to look for as well as the type of damage on the bears that should set alarm bells ringing. Unfortunately, as with most popular markets, this is necessary due to some pretty good fakes out there. If there is an authenticity certificate, you will of course expect to pay more for the bear.
There are a couple of other things that affect the bear’s value. The older, larger and scarcer the bear is the higher the value with anything that is pre World War 1 being the most prized. Looking at scarcity again, you will find that vintage bears that were produced without a smile tended not to be purchased for children. This means there were often very few made leading to them being hard to obtain now and often very valuable. An example would be the snarling Sussenguth’s Peter teddies. Finally, when vintage bear collecting look out for original intact clothing and boxes as this will add to the value.
You can of course just choose the bears that you fall in love with, but if you are serious about starting vintage bear collecting, follow the tips above and get yourself a good book so you understand properly what you are looking for and how to care for your bears.
Our suggestion for a good book is Teddy Bears: A Collector’s Guide to Selecting, Restoring, and Enjoying New and Vintage Teddy Bears
By the 1950′s this particular bear was brought back to life in various sizes and colours but again fell from grace in the 70′s when production ended and the company was taken over. In addition to the growlers, some also included musical mechanisms. If you are looking for one of these bears, look for the plastic medallion with “Schuco TRICKY Patent” on one side and “Made in the US zone of Germany”.
Reborn dolls are becoming more and more popular by the day. These are dolls that appear indistinguishable to actual human babies. The artists that develop these reborn dolls are known as reborn artist. You can buy a complete reborn doll or you can order reborn doll kits to build the reborn doll precisely the way you want.
The process of crafting a reborn doll is painstaking therefore needs a lot of persistence. Reborn doll kits contain vinyl made segments of a doll or the entire doll equipped for reborning. Coloring the doll layer by layer is important to ensure that you get the desired skin tone. How the shows on the vinyl surface might be a tricky thing to guess. Hence, you have to do it layer by layer to regulate the outcome to your desired color tone. The hair needs to be micro-rooted into the doll’s head a few strands at a time to ensure that the baby reborn doll looks further realistic plus resembles the child you’re trying to get from the reborn doll.
There are thousands of reborn designers available around the world that build and craft these dolls. The buyer pays a commission for building the doll from a reborn doll kit or purchases the doll from the reborn artist. The rate can fluctuate from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. The cost differs according to the quality of work as well as the fame of the artist.
You can find plenty of sites existing on the web that sell reborn dolls or reborn doll kits. You can easily visit eBay auction sites or some other top rank reborn doll site to get sale on reborns. You’ll be able to purchase a basic set from as little as $25 and superior packages might charge you around $150. Choosing an advanced kit with the reborning procedure nearly complete should be wise in case you are thinking about building the doll all by yourself. For premium finish, you should look for employing a specialist reborn artist.
All these lifelike babies may be utilized for psychotherapy. They surely can build the same psychological relationship as folks make with pets or even more than that. They’re occasionally utilized by father and mother who lost their child. And they’re also used in the old age homes to help aged persons as these dolls are acknowledged to offer a calm and soothing feeling to the aged persons. Most of the reborn doll users nurse the reborn doll as actual baby, they take care of the baby doll seriously plus takes those with them to other places and shows and shares their experience with another doll owners. The similarity with real baby makes them real cute and adorable.
Reborn dolls are superb toys which women of any age can easily play with. Their identical outlook like real babies makes them a lot more than a toy to the owner.
