Lots of love as £10kTeds for auction
Awoman who accumulated a £10,000 teddy bear collection over 50 years has decided to sell the antique toys to preserve their history.
Jill Barker, who grew up in Bargoed, developed a lifelong passion for teddy bears after her beloved toys had to be burned when she contracted scarlet fever as a child.
Now she is preparing to auction the irreplaceable collection of antique teddy bears, which she began collecting in her twenties.
Jill, 70, said: “My great fear is that if I do nothing they could be swept up in a house clearance by people who don’t understand their value.
“I have no children and want to be sure these bears will be treasured and protected. Ideally, they should be in a museum. These are not toys to be played with, they are historical collector’s items.”
Some of her most treasured bears include two made by German toymakers Gebrüder Bing, dating from 1908 and the 1920s – which are worth around £1,500-£2,000 each.
One of the Bing bears, which Jill bought from Christie’s Auction House in London in 2007, comes complete with a photograph of the child who previously owned it, Emmi Bruckmann, from Stuttgart in Germany.
“Every bear has an individual history,” Jill said. “They have been through world wars. There are emotional ties to these bears. Some are worn because they have been hugged so much.”
Until recently Jill had kept her collection at her home in Derbyshire, but it was back at her family home in Bargoed, in the Rhymney Valley, where her passion began.
“I’ve loved bears ever since I was young and remember having a tantrum one Christmas when I was very small because I was given a doll instead of a teddy bear,” she said.
“I hurled the doll down the stairs and my parents were furious with me.”
When she was eight years old Jill contracted scarlet fever. While she recovered all of her teddies had to be burned out of a fear they may be contaminated.
“I was about eight at the time and was so upset,” she said. “I think that may be why I have always loved teddy bears so much.”
Jill will be keeping five of the teddies, but says it is impossible to pick her favourite. She said: “The Bings are the most valuable ones. But I also have Merrythoughts, Chiltern and Chad Valley bears.”
Jill’s bears will be sold at a toy auction at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on August 22. Call 01283 733988 or email service@hansonsauctioneers. co.uk