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One thing I have always wanted is a BIG old bear. Well I got just that while away. I was shown this teddy bear and asked if I would like him as the owner's daughter is not interested and she has 3 grand children.
I have not yet identified him- maybe someone here has an idea- I have searched all my teddy bears books
He was born between 1923- 1928, has no labels, still have a reasonable amount of hair left, did have new eyes fitted and paw pads.He belonged to the owner when she was a little girl and it had first belonged to her aunt who was born in 1921 and the bear was given to her as a small child. The person who did the restoration work said she had to replace all wood wool as it had been infected with insects.He still has his growler which works. He measures about 60cm.
I would like to get Dot Bird in the UK to restore him.
So if anyone has an idea then maybe you can help.
Lynette
PottersHouse BearsWOW!!! What a treasure. He is wonderful, and he looks marvelous for his age. I just look at the pictures and ask myself "How could someone not want him?".
q.D.paToOtieSHe's stunning! I wouldn't do a thing to him myself...perfect as is!!!
Hugs,
Lisa
Patsy Lake BearsHe is wonderful lucky you Lynette
Swan Valley BearsYou LUCKY DUCK ! ! ! He's beautiful, a wonderful addition to any hug.
Posts: 2,203I would snap him up in a heartbeat! 
Oh Gosh! He is wonderful! He kind of looks like a Chiltern to me.. I'd have to check my books. Congrats on the new addition!!
Bear Hugs!
Melanie
Posts: 3,540I'm not going to even take a stab at who his maker could have been, but what a dapper bear
I'm with Millie, how could anyone not want him?? Give him a gentle big squishy hug from me :hug:
...edited to ask, what's his name?
Past Time Bears
Debbie at this stage I am calling him MYTED- I am even talking to him- just confirms how "mad" I am :crackup:
Lynette
Wow he is gorgeous, you are so lucky
Pauline
Jane Perala Designs Ltd.Contact Edie Barlishen here on TT - she will probably know his maker. He is gorgeous - lucky you!
Bears by EdieNo, sorry, I don't know who his maker might have been - but he is absolutely fabulous!!! The only thing I would do to him is change his paw pads as they don't look like they are made of the right material - should likely be wool felt. In fact those look stitched over top the originals so first thing I would do is carefully pick them off and see what is underneath. I did that on my big old bear and found the original felt pads in not bad shape - just thinning in places and a few minor holes and to me much preferable to the sewn over replacements. You could email the photos to Ken Yenke at Teddy Bear Review and see what he thinks.
wow! he's wonderful! lucky you!
Past Time BearsEdie said: You could email the photos to Ken Yenke at Teddy Bear Review and see what he thinks.
Or John Paul Port.
yes his pawpads are new- and I agree not the right fabric for him, underneath them is a firm piece of cardboard. I will investigate further.
thanks
Lynette
Melbourne, AustraliaHe's lovely Lynette and in such a wonderful condition ... I would take Edie's advice.
When I restored my brothers bear all I did was match up the paw pad fabric and carefully stitch it over the top and eventhough he didn't have much pile left he still looks a treat to me.
Kingfisher Farm Teddies and Folk ArtChiltern is his maker, Pam Congratulations on a superb "score"!
Lucky you Lynette ~ your new, old bear is really gorgeous and you must be so happy to add him to your collection.
Hugs
Carolyn
katiescraftworksWhat a beautiful bear. He is gorgeous. I so love old bears, they are wonderful and have such character.
Bear hugs,
Cathie
Lynette, you are so lucky to have inherted this beauty ! Enjoy him.
Posts: 3,540Debbie at this stage I am calling him MYTED- I am even talking to him- just confirms how "mad" I am :crackup:
Lynette
If talking to a bear is a sign of madness, I'm in deep 
I love the name!!! :crackup: It fits 
Matilda Huggington-beareWOW lucky you! he is charming! cant understand how his previous owner didnt want him?
My first thought was Chad Valley ... his face is reminiscent of their bears, particularly the nose and smiley mouth, but after looking at the shots of him from behind, his limbs and body are certainly all Chiltern, so is his paw shaping, still descernible despite the new pads. Original footpad material for Chiltern bears would have been either rexine, cotton, linen or quality velvet ... the feet tended to be carded.
Your bear's head shaping could certainly be early Chiltern ... prior to the flatter faced Hugmee design of the 50's, the Hugmees had much longer snouts. Ears were stitched into the head with the sewing of the side head pieces to the gusset, and when I look at your head shot, I'm not sure that the ears have been stitched into your bear's head in this way as they seem to be positioned higher than the seam. From the photo they look as though they may have been sewn onto the head separately, in the same way many of us bear makers work these days, but that may be because they came loose and were restitched by whoever did the makeover. One thing I have noticed about Chilterns is that in the main their ears do tend to be well attached to their heads, even after many years ... although who knows what can happen to an old bear on his journey through life! Chiltern definitely used fairly large amber/black glass eyes for their earlier bears (from 1930's) and they also used clear glass eyes back in the 20's/30's - these were sometimes painted orange and sometimes left clear.
Your bear's mohair looks in lovely condition. Chiltern were reknowned for using excellent quality dense mohair, particularly before the war and straight after. Their mohair really stands the test of time. Chiltern bears were usually filled with kapok and had excelsior (woodwool) packed around the joints. The head was filled with excelsior. They had 'voices' ... either squeaker growlers in the body cavity, or if you are even luckier, a bellows music box!
I have several Chiltern Hugmee bears and the rear shot of your bear would definitely fit in with them perfectly. If you can find any traces of a sewn in label in the left side seam of your bear, between his arm and hip, that would be a good clue to Chiltern too. Also, if the refurbed paw material was removed from his left foot, you might get lucky and see a small rectangular shape in the original paw fabric on the heel ... this would have been where Chiltern stuck their identification label and is a good clue to age... I read somewhere that the foot labelling began in the 1940's, so it may be that your bear is too early to have had one. The labels were printed in red ink with the words 'Chiltern Hygenic Toys Made in England'. Because the foot labels were stuck onto the paw pad, it's quite rare to find a bear with his foot label still intact. Unfortunately, side seam labels can be hard to find too as they were often cut off, or they simply rotted away with time, however, if you have one, the colours and wording are a great clue to age. There are several books which can help identify these things ... my favourites are Pauline Cockrill's 'The Ultimate Teddy Bear' and 'The Teddy Bear Encyclopaedia', there are several other good books out there too, each with snippets of useful information.
The early Chilterns often had shaved snouts, which made me wonder, ... do you think your bear has perhaps had his mouth and nose restitched? If so, that would explain my confusion with those details. Perhaps his nose and mouth have been restitched in the Chad Valley style. Chilterns tended to have 'shield' shaped black stitched noses, (smaller than your bear's nose) and over time, the threads can become somewhat raggedy. They also have inverted 'V' shaped mouths, although these were sometimes stitched in quite a straight 'almost but not quite' horizontal mouth ... but I've not seen such a smiley mouth on a Chiltern before ... but then, I don't claim to have had the pleasure of having seen every bear produced by Chiltern and I am still more than happy to keep learning about this wonderful manufacturer!
In case you were wondering, I absolutely love Chiltern teddy bears!
1940's Hugmee
1930's/40's Hugmees
1930's Chiltern Hugmees
1950's/60's Chiltern Hugmee
Incidentally, Chad Valley took over the Chiltern Hygenic Toy Company in the late 1960's and Chiltern made its first teddy bear in 1915. The company was established among the Chiltern Hills in England and during the second world war, the factory was turned over to war work. After the war, a new factory was built in Wales.
Musical Hugmee 1930's/40's (right)
Not sure of this one's age ... he's in fabulous condition! I'm guessing 1940's/50's ish as he has glass eyes. But if anyone can tell me his age, I'd love to know!
1930's Chiltern Hugmee
Paula, yes he has had his nose re stitched. Right under his left arm, a very small piece seems to be sticking out. I am not sure if it is cotton use to sew him up or the fragments of a label. It almost looks like someone has restitched this are as the stitching is not as smooth as the rest of the seam.
I am going to go and get a magnifying glass and take a better look. Also going to investigate his paw pads. He has 5 claws on the paw pads. None are on his arm pads but you can a small piece of black embroidery thread.
Although he has been restored I think he still needs a professional re storer to get him shipshape.
Forgot , his ears are firmly sewn on with a thick double thread and no markings of them originally been sewn together with the head as a one piece.
Thanks for all the info Paula, I appreciate it.
Lynette
