Teddies that fetch a fur bit
QUESTION How much is the first Steiff teddy worth?
IT’S very hard to say because there are no known examples of the original 1902 bears.
Should an authenticated version come on the market, it would be worth well over €100,000, probably much more.
The most valuable antique Steiff bear is named Teddy Girl and dates from 1905. It was sold in 1994 to Japanese businessman Yoshihiro Sekiguchi, for Stg£110,000. A black mohair bear made to commemorate the 1912 sinking of the Titanic sold for around €25,000 this year. An earlier bear, the 1904 Steiff 35PB, sells for €11,000-€15,000 because examples are more common.
The Steiff company was founded by Margarete Steiff (1847-1909) in Giengen, Germany, in 1880. Their first product was an elephant pincushion, the ‘Elefäntle’. Within five years they were selling more than 5,000 of these a year.
By 1890 Margarete had established the Steiff Filz-SpielwarenFabrik (Felt Toy Factory). The first illustrated Steiff catalogue appeared in 1892.
In addition to elephants, there were monkeys, donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, mice, dogs, cats, hares and giraffes, but no bears.
Margarete’s motto was Für Kinder ist nur das Beste gut genug! (‘for children, only the best is good enough!’).
Richard Steiff (1877-1939), Margarete’s favourite nephew, joined the company in 1897. He’d studied at the School of Art in Stuttgart and his sketches formed the basis of many Steiff creations.
It was Richard Steiff who created the first teddy bear in 1902: Bear 55 PB. P stood for Plusch (plush) and B for Beweglich (movable).
While seeking a suitable material for the fur, Richard discovered the soft and dyeable mohair plush, manufactured by the Schulte pilefabric weaving mill in Duisburg.
The bear looked like a real bear; arms and legs were attached by string that was fastened with a knot just below the plush.
The bear was articulated; until then, such bears were usually on four legs, which couldn’t move.
Bear 55PB was first shown to the public at the Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903. The story goes that Richard had failed to sell any bears when Hermann Berg, a buyer for Borgfeldt, New York, passed by.
He was beguiled by 55PB and bought all 100 teddy bears present – ordering another 3,000 more, for eight German marks each.
The whereabouts of these bears is a mystery. No sample of this bear was kept. There are examples of the boxes in which they were shipped to America, and papers of loading and shipping.
Steiff’s theory is that this is due to the construction of the teddy bear, with the arms and legs secured with string, making them very fragile, so the bears were not designed to last. Should a 55PB be found, it would be worth a great deal. Both Richard Steiff and his aunt weren’t satisfied with the 55 PB and in 1904 they made a new and improved model: 35 PB.
At the World’s Fair of 1904 in St Louis in the US, 12,000 teddy bears of model 35 PB were sold.
These were the first bears to have the signature Steiff buttons in their ears.
Liz Noelle-Mayer, London.
QUESTION Why are there so many empty chateaux in France?
PRINCIPALLY because they are so expensive to renovate and conserve. A medium-sized eight/tenbed chateau may cost less than €1million to buy but it will cost €100,000 a year to maintain.
If you purchase a chateau, you become the chatelain, the keeper – and as such you become the protector of a piece of France’s national heritage. Your role is more caretaker than owner and comes with social responsibilities to the surrounding community.
Before purchasing a chateau, you must be aware of its history, architectural style and strict building requirements, get a feel for the cost of fixtures, fittings, tiling, specialist plaster, wallpaper, etc. You must make sure you have funds to both make it habitable and maintain it.
It’s important to make a close survey as to the chateau’s amenities, understand how long the property has been unused, the current status of its sewerage system, roofing requirements, drainage, heating, structural soundness, etc.
Structurally, renovating a chateau could set you back an average of €1,500 per square metre.
In some cases, French historical properties can benefit from government grants; a listed property can be a ‘historical monument’, a building which represents the public interest because of its historical or architectural relevance, while ‘listed’ status means that it is historically significant and worth preserving.
These labels may enable the owner to qualify for grants or tax rebates, yet it will require you to jump through a host of bureaucratic hoops and constrain what you can do with the building. Opening a privately owned chateau to the public is another way to access grants.
L. P. Poole, Montpellier.
QUESTION Why are new soccer signings ‘unveiled’?
UNVEIL means to reveal or uncover something, often with a sense of drama or ceremony.
As transfer fees and marketing have taken their hold in modern soccer, a public unveiling has become part of the drama.
An example is Diego Costa’s signing for Wolves, where he was filmed holding a pack of live wolves on a leash – he later confessed to being absolutely terrified.
In its most literal sense, unveil means to remove the veil that’s covering something, such as the face of a bride.
Both the literal and figurative imply a sense of drama, as in John Dryden’s 1690 play Don Sebastian: ‘Unveil the Woman; I wou’d view the Face That warm’d our Mufti’s Zeal.’
Richard Holden, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
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