Here we have the most stunning Steiff Teddy Bear who dates from around 1907 and is a huge 28in. (71cm.) high. He has the most beautiful face.
This beauty is actually called 'Teddy Bear', which is fairly unusual for the year 1907. Look at his wonderful hump and long, long arms!
He is in good condition for his age, a very good coat of fur. He is a bit thin on the top of his head and his left ankle and wrist have a repairable split.
His hand pads have also been recovered by his original owner, but Teddy Bear still includes his famous STEIFF button in ear
The best thing about Teddy Bear is we know who owned him and he is being sold by the original owner's family. Here is Vera Caldwell -
Seated here with her family of doggies.
But this is the best photograph (an is actually sold with this original photograph), this old photograph shows her proudly clutching her new bear on a train journey back home in 1907 on the newly-opened West Highland line from Glasgow to Mallaig.
This second photograph showing Vera and Teddy including some of her family and their dogs, the original of this is also included in the auction lot.
Vera Caldwell spent most of its life near Morar in the West Highlands of Scotland. Vera was born in 1897. She was the daughter of a famous zoologist, who had met her mother in Australia while researching into the duck-billed platypus (he established for the first time that they laid eggs). When she was very young, the family moved to Morar, where Vera had an idyllic childhood, even being taught by her older sisters rather than receiving a formal school education. After she married in 1916, she lived near Glasgow for some time but spent most summers at Morar, and she returned to live there in 1947 until her death in 1993. The bear always remained a great feature of life in the nursery at her house, and it received enormous attention and special love from her own three children and then from her seven grandchildren, and indeed from her great-grandchildren.
Teddy Bear and the two original photographs is the star Teddy Bear lot in my auction on the 12th June 2015, his estimate is £3000-4000, for all this history I think is a bit of a bargain.
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