Collection of bears goes under hammer
IF you go down to the auction house, you’re in for a big surprise.
If you go down to the auction house, you’ll never believe your eyes – for around 600 teddy bears will be up for sale at Anderson and Garland’s Newcastle base tomorrow.
They are from the 1,000-strong teddy bear collection of the late Ann Short, who lived at Cambois in Blyth, Northumberland.
Most of her collection consists of Charlie Bears, which are hand made in Cornwall by a company founded in 2005 by Charlotte Morris.
The bears in the sale range from £40 to £200 and the sale is expected to raise around £20,000.
Ann, who died in April, worked as a chef at Bates Colliery in Blyth and also Morpeth Cottage Hospital. Her niece, Jane Flatman, said: “She loved her collection, which is fantastic. Her bears were in her living room, dining room and upstairs in bedrooms and she and Charlotte exchanged birthday and Christmas cards.
“She always collected different things, such as crystal glass and Royal Doulton plates, and her nieces and nephews had to bring her tea towels back from holidays. But she got hooked on the bears and every one of them had a name.”
The bears sale will be followed by an auction of around 4,000 boxed model kits from one North East collection. Many were made by companies such as Airfix, Revel and Frog and include aircraft, military vehicles, cars and ships.