£15k collection of teddy bears, including Steiff, under hammer at Newbury auction house
A leading dealer in antique and vintage teddy bears and soft toys is parting with her collection, putting 34 lots of teddy bears and soft toys up for auction in Newbury next month because she is downsizing and is keen to find good homes for them. The collection is estimated at £15,000.
The private collection of Sue Pearson from Sussex is going under the hammer at Special Auction Services, off Hambridge Road, in Newbury on Tuesday, June 8.
The author of a number of well-loved and often used reference books A Collector’s Guide to Bears (1995) and Miller’s Teddy Bears A Complete Collector’s Guide (2001), Ms Pearson and her bears have travelled all over Europe, the US, Japan and Australia, and have appeared on TV many times, including on Richard and Judy and she has given many talks with her bears telling their stories.
She started collecting in the 1950s, then sold teddy bears and dolls at fairs in the 1970s, setting up a tiny stall in Brighton market that turned into her world-famous shop Sue Pearson Antique and Collectors Bears (13 1/2 Prince Albert Street, The Lanes, Brighton) in 1982.
Her collection of bears that she has collected over the years has been displayed in the spare bedroom of her house and several of them have fascinating stories and provenances. Ms Pearson said: “I have a strong emotional attachment to these special bears and they represent a happy and important part of my life. As I am semi-retired now I want to see them go to new homes although I have kept a small cabinet of miniature bears.”
The non-attended auction of 'Teddy Bears, Dolls, Dolls' Houses and Traditional Toys' will comprise more than 450 lots of bears and soft toys made by makes including Steiff, Farnell, Deans and Bing and a rare Steiff hot-water bottle teddy bear expected to fetch £6,000-8,000 and a rare Steiff black mohair teddy bear, 1908-10 which carries an estimate of £3,000-5,000.
https://www.specialauctionservices.com/
