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| 5th September 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 XE.com Personal Currency Assistant ... Click here for Currency Exchange details  The WW1 period of teddy bear productions on this side of the pond, was an extremely significant one. A ban on foreign imports meant that British companies now had the opportunity to make great strides into this highly popular and major market of the time. W.H. Jones, Jungle Toys, Harwin & Co, W.J.Terry's and many others, all grabbed the chance to further increase, not only their individual companie's status, but further the popularity of a product that had already taken the world by storm for more than a decade.  Courgette is a really beautiful example of WW1 British bear productions. First and foremost, his covering is the early English mohair, produced mainly in the north of the country, and consisting of a high quality that is second to none in the world. His internal filling is exclusively the very early, fine excelsior, that again has aided establishing a bear's origins so many times before. Having arrived on our doorstep in a rather sad state, without ears, eyes and a muzzle that had been well worn through much loving and handling, this wonderful teddy was immediately given all the tender love and care through our sympathetic restoration techniques. His general shape, silhouette and features, indicated that we were dealing with a very early English creation. As well as the internal and external materials being clear indications, the drumstick shaped legs, large, card lined feet, long curved arms, high hump and triangular head shape with very pronounced muzzle, were further ticks in the boxes of a product from these shores. After carefully creating and matching Courgette's ears, they were attached to the area still visibly indicating where the originals would have sat. Glass eyes of a similar era were obtained and again positioned on the site of where the bear's production type would have been. Looking at the set of the eye socket area, we believe that the originals would have been produced in glass and not be of boot button styling. The muzzle was perhaps the area that required the greatest amount of care, simply because it is the most difficult part of a bear to restore, and yet is usually the most worn over time. Now Courgette might not have a huge amount of his mohair still remaining, but what he does retain does give him a look that is so very appealing, and accentuates the fact that he is as close to W.J. Terry's productions as we can find, without being totally certain that he is one of this great bear producer's products. Take a look at that wonderful smile .... How can you resist?  Serious collectors in any field will, in time, become experts in their own right. The most evident use of this knowledge is in visually identifying with greater speed and keener eye. Arctophiles, with a bent towards the older bears, will readily and rapidly be able to sift through countless images of apparently aged examples. Whilst dismissing the majority in mere seconds, their gaze will become locked onto a gem that demands full attention, and rightly so. The clearly defined silhouette of a well known maker from the past is sometimes enough to tickle the taste buds and create the yearning to feast on the wonderful sight presented. J K Farnell anyone?  Murton is one of those Farnells who, quite simply, takes your breath away. This superb looking bruin has had the great fortune to have been part of a private collection for many years now. During this time, his direct handling has been minimised and his placement has been away from direct sunlight and dust invasion. What is particularly unique about Murton, is his shorter than usual mohair. This type of coverage was only utilised by Farnell for a limited range of their productions towards the end of WW1 hostilities, circa 1918. Advancing years and light exposure in general, have turned his original colouring, of possibly more golden blonde, into a more beige blonde colour now. There is some wear and tear, that would have come through his early years of play. This has made for general thinning and small areas of loss. The very pronounced and shaved muzzle shows a small repair that was required to a regular kiss spot. As per the designs of the era, our Farnell friend carries the smaller, almost block shaped head with ears cupped wide on the top corners, across the facial seams. His eyes appear to be equivalent replacements of the originals, whilst his nose has required some recovery stitches, and the mouth recovery to the original placement. Very long, curved arms, with original felt paw pads and claws, come with extremely pronounced drumstick shaped legs, felt pads, with repair to the left, and original, claw stitching. The very large feet contain their original card linings which have become slightly rounded with age and handling. Internally, the all excelsior filling supports an inoperative growler to the main body, which shows the mandatory rear hump and front closing seam. Murton is certainly an outstanding, early Farnell example, who exudes high quality in abundance, having maintained that recognisable silhouette extremely well over the years.  It might be a contentious observation to state, but the most appealing size for any vintage or antique teddy bear is believed to be 13 to 14 inches in height. This single fact alone led to the more than average production numbers in this size by the major players in teddy bear manufacturing. That was certainly the case up until the 1950s, the era when pre-safety features and high quality materials throughout were last available in the industry. The question then has to be asked as to why, with such large numbers originally created, there are relatively so few surviving through the years to the present day. The answer to that is quite simple. Because the bears were so popular, and such a convenient size for children of all ages, by the same token they received a great deal more handling and loving than other sizes. Today, the appeal of these bears is greater than ever, and bear lovers and collectors still eagerly seek the cutest examples to enhance their collections ......  Blinkers arrived on our doorstep without material identity, a name, eyes, or very much mohair coverage to speak of on his body or right arm. Renewing the little chap's sight was the first, and probably the most important recovery aspect required, and one that ultimately led to his name, with a pair of 1930s glass replacements. His head shape, original nose stitching, with the long upward and outer stitches clearly in place, and rounded paw ends on mid-length limbs, all indicated Chiltern production from the 1930s. Had the paws been pointed in definition, and the feet a little more defined, then we might have been dealing with a 1920s Australian Joy Toys creation. This earlier dating would have been arrived at because Joy Toys' moveable neck joints ceased being incorporated after 1930. With Blinkers now able to 'see' his restorers and give them the cutest of gentle smiles as a thank you for saving him, our little friend was soon asking for his claw numbers to be reinstated to their original three to each paw. Again that right arm , which must have been used for lifting by an early owner, was in need of all three claws, whilst a single claw made for the set on his right foot. Much settling and compressing of the original kapok fill throughout, has meant that the neck allows the head to flop rather endearingly, and the legs also move a little freely when Blinkers is held in one hand. All cotton paw pads are the original, with varying shades of fading and discolouration, whilst the production squeaker still lies within, but is now no longer working. A totally delightful and appealing example of 1930s Chiltern bears, Blinkers is now eagerly awaiting a new home, where he can spend many more years giving a great deal of joy to his new owner. Isn't he just so Gorgeous? ......  Whilst many teddies of vintage age and older carry hallmark identity features that clearly place them under the origination banner of a recognisable production company, there are a great percentage who are clearly not identifiable. Having an original material label attached is a huge advantage when features are inconclusive. Then there are those few occasions when a bear will be labeled by a dealer not totally conversant in the world of Arctophilia, or misidentified by an Auction House where few bruins pass through for the chance of a new life. What might appear to be an old 'Steiff' by an inexperienced expert, might well actually be a more recent production from either America or Britain. Such is the minefield that is identifying old teddy bears.  Comfrey was purchased from an Antiques Fair. He was in need of a little assistance with his hearing, due to the fact that his ears were totally missing, but he was extremely appealing. His sale label indicated that he was a 1930s Merrythought alternative design, however, he carried no features that would have originated from this long established British bear manufacturer. In fact none of his characteristics or his features clearly establish his origins, apart from the fact that he carries the chubby drumstick legs, long, curved arms, and well proportioned body of 1930s British bear productions, and therefore this is the only area that we can be certain of in relationship to identification. Since carefully establishing the siting of the original ear sets, and then sizing them to other bear examples of similar feature proportions, we were able to recreate within reason, recovered versions of his production pair. With renewed appearance giving our friend the confidence to join in with all the group hug activities, it soon became clear that this confidence was rubbing off on the other bruins. And so, just as the plant that is the gardeners friend, the plant that encourages others to gain strength and flourish, the name Comfrey was ideal to bestow on this friend to all. Comfrey's unusual head shape, with pronounced and blunt muzzle atop a chubby but 'boxy' profile comes with very compact excelsior filling. The glass eyes differ very slightly in size, and the right one comes with some surface marking. These may well have been replaced at some point in the past. All four paw pads required recovery to the original felt, and so all four have been replaced with vintage felt of a similar colouring. All body and limb filling is kapok and supports an inoperative growler. Perhaps your hug requires a bear to encourage the others, another bear they can all look up to ..... A bear just like Comfrey ..... |
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