TOY MONEY FORTUNES
A teddy sold for £110,000 ...Barbie dolls that fetch thousands of pounds and Star Wars models for ASTRONOMICAL prices. It’s a long way from just . . .
A TEDDY bear offers a lifetime of unconditional love. It can also provide the promise of becoming a shrewd investment. Here, The Mail on Sunday’s TOBY WALNE examines the investment merits of this cuddly friend – and other money-making childhood companions. TEDDY BEAR
THE teddy bear was born in 1902 when Richard Steiff was inspired by watching bears perform at a circus. He convinced his aunt Margarete, a toy company owner, to make some stuffed bears and despite her reservations this cuddly toy proved an immediate hit.
The earliest Steiff survivors are the most sought after. The record price is £110,000 paid in 1994 for a 1905 Steiff Teddy Girl bear that accompanied a British Army colonel during the Second World War D-Day landings in France as a lucky mascot. A ‘Titanic mourning bear’ made of black mohair in the wake of the tragic sinking of the ship in 1912 went for £91,750 in 2000, while a tatty looking 1904 Steiff bear sold for £82,000 in 2002. Daniel Agnew is a specialist in antique teddy bears. He says: ‘A key part of the value of a teddy bear is what I refer to as the “aah” factor. It does not matter if the bear is old and in tatty condition. If the teddy looks loveable, you have found a collectable.’
Agnew, a former auctioneer at Christie’s, believes bears made before the Second World War are the most collectable because of the quality of manufacture and their rarity.
Although Steiff is the most well known bear maker, it is not the only one. Others include German makers Schuco, Gebruder Bing and Gebruder Sussenguth. British bears highly sought after include those made by Merrythought, JK Farnell, Chiltern, Dean’s and Chad Valley.
Early 20th Century bears tend to have longer arms and a humped back so they can stand on all fours like a real bear as well as sit up as a cuddly friend.
It was not until 1906 that the term ‘teddy’ started to be used. This was when the cuddly toys started to be exported to America. US President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt was a keen hunter but had refused to shoot an injured bear – portrayed in a 1902 cartoon that forever linked him to the animal.
Agnew warns collectors to be aware of fakes. He says: ‘Quality bears are made of mohair, the hair of an angora goat. Others have a synthetic fur mix. The stuffing of older authentic bears is often comprised of long thin strands of wood that look a bit like straw that can crumble into sawdust around the moving joints.’
Another sign of authenticity is if the bear has a broken ‘growler’ or ‘squeaker’ as was fitted in most old bears. If you find one where it is working, it is probably a sign that it is a fake. You can rarely pick up a quality pre-Second World War bear for less than £100, while you should expect to pay anything from £300 to several thousand pounds for an old teddy of investment value.
Sarah Holmes, a director of Merrythought, the last remaining British teddy bear manufacturer, says quality bears last a lifetime. She adds: ‘Their appeal is timeless, for adults as well as children. As one of the first companions in your life it creates a special bond that is unique.’
Sarah is in the fourth generation in a family business set up in 1930. Her sister Hannah is also a director. She says if a bear is falling apart it can be repaired, but it is best to use a professional restorer such as Bear It In Mind to make sure it maintains its value.
Enthusiasts can visit the Woburn Abbey Teddy Bear Festival on Sunday, June 11, which showcases both modern and antique bears.
BARBIE AND SINDY
DESPITE her age and several facelifts, Barbie looks in great shape.
The plastic blonde began life in 1959 wearing a blackand-white swimsuit. She cost £1.70 new but today, if still in her original box, she can sell for £8,000, while if played with she can still fetch £2,500 – if she has the original lacquer on her hair.
Kathy Taylor is a valuer at toy auctioneer Vectis in Stockton-on-Tees. She says Barbie’s origins were less wholesome than her squeaky clean image. ‘The inspiration behind Barbie was a racy adult doll called Bild Lilli, who was a sexually uninhibited cartoon character,’ she says. ‘Although Barbie kept the same curves, the make-up was toned down to give her a more family friendly appeal.’ Bild Lilli was first made in Germany in 1955. She caught the eye of a 15-year-old girl called Barbara while on a vacation in 1956. The teenager’s mother was Ruth Handler, co-founder of the Mattel toy company, who adapted the doll for children and launched it in America in 1959. Bild Lilli dolls from the 1950s can command a price of £3,000. Later Barbie models regularly fetch three-figure sums, with rare redheads particularly sought after. While Barbie was named after Barbara, her brother Kenneth did not get his own namesake Ken until 1961. He is less sought after among collectors and early examples of this drippy boyfriend now sell for less than £500. Barbie always preferred Action Man when it came to toy
box adventures. Following the success of Barbie, British toy manufacturer Pedigree Dolls & Toys launched in 1963 a more wholesome pre-pubescent rival named Sindy.
In her late 1960s heyday, she was a best-selling doll, but when Hasbro bought the rights to her in the late 1970s she was remodelled to look more American and less of a girl-next-door.
Early Sindy dolls in an original box will fetch £1,000, while later 1960s examples with the chic look of model Twiggy can go for £300. Buyers must be wary of ‘Frankenstein fakes’ made from bits of old dolls to make a new model. An early vintage Barbie can be recognised thanks to a date stamp branded on to her right bottom cheek.
ACTION MAN
THE Armed Forces figure Action Man was launched in Britain by Palitoy in 1966. He was seen as a high-risk venture at the time but became a huge success. He was based on a GI Joe action figure launched in America in 1964. Although early models are popular investments – worth up to £600 boxed – it is Action Man’s wardrobe that commands the highest prices.
Taylor says: ‘We sold an Action Man judo suit with a full set of belts from 1969 in original packaging for a record £5,400 a couple of years ago. It originally sold for 12 shillings – 60p.’
Other highly sought-after costumes include a ‘Soldiers of the Century’ Green Beret outfit complete with a rare Silver Star medal worth at least £1,000. Early Action Man came as an Armed Forces soldier, sailor or pilot – and also had a dog tag.
It was not until 1970 that the fuzzy hair replaced the lick of plastic paint on top of his head. At the same time the head was softened and a scar on his right cheek was improved to make him look even tougher.
He had to wait three more years before he could properly pick up a gun, but unfortunately these ‘gripping hands’ had a tendency to crumble and fingers fell off.
In 1977 Action Man visited an optician and was given ‘Eagle-Eyes’ that allowed him to survey the horizon thanks to a lever on the back of his neck.
Figures from the 1970s that are in pristine condition – and ideally boxed – sell for more than £200. Unboxed, Action Man’s value more than halves.
Despite loyal service to several generations of youngsters, Action Man was discharged from duty in 1984 when war toys fell out of favour.
He returned in 1993, made by new manufacturer Hasbro, but did not quite recapture his former glory. For collectors these figures are not investments.