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| 5th September 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 XE.com Personal Currency Assistant ... Click here for Currency Exchange details  Old bears of all shapes, sizes and conditions arrive on our doorstep via all manner of transportation and packaging. In the recent past a package was delivered with the contents individually wrapped. You might consider that it would be a simple task to just open each pack one by one and make a note of the condition of whatever lay within for any necessary restoration work that might be required. But carrying out this task would not be as easy as first thought. The contents of the package were the material versions of metal puzzles. In other words, the limbs, bodies, fillings and voice boxes of four bears and a cat were all separated neatly into plastic bags, without any obvious clues as to which married up with which. Once the tedious aspect of sorting the various creations parts into the correct combinations was achieved, then the worst fears were allayed, and the reconstruction could begin. The resulting 'rebirths' were quite stunning, to say the very least.  A couple of years ago we came across another bear that had been dismantled. His then owner had undertaken this procedure in order to hopefully rebuild him at some future date, following the discovery that all joints had deteriorated beyond use. In this instance the filling was still in place, although somewhat very settled and compacted with age and handling. So this rather sad looking bear, with very little mohair to speak of, required a good clean and rejointing to return him to the bear world in a recognised form, and recreate the life that he should be experiencing. The day of the surgery was a rather blustery one weather wise, and this immediately led to Breeze receiving his name, although it was only after he had recovered from the anesthetic that the bear himself got wind of his new identity. He was blown away with being back together again , as well as having a name. Breeze is a 1920s American bear who has obviously been extremely well loved and handled. Despite this, he still retains his original glass eyes with the glass stems that were so typical of this era and bear type. The production nose is also retained in it's horizontal stitching and narrow design on the end of a pronounced and rounded muzzle. With ears cut into his head at the high seam points, long slim arms and legs onto a football shaped body, and small defined feet, Breeze is every bit the early American creation. Three of the four paw pads have been recovered with felt equivalent material, whilst the right hand has been retained in a repaired form. Small clusters of mohair, mainly on the legs and arm tops, indicate that Breeze was originally golden in colouring, as most productions of his type were. But any volume to this coverage is extremely minimal, and therefore the best description to use for this feature is bald. Breeze may well be bald, but he is a very appealing little character, with a little slump to his posture that encourages further cuddling to take place ......  White teddy bears have always been held in high regard by arctophiles worldwide. There are, despite their lack of any hue, a coloured bear, and anyone who can remember the seven colours of the rainbow, will also know that combined in equal proportions, these colours will create white. This 'colour' in the bear world was particularly popular around the late 1920s to the mid 1930s. This coincided with the worldwide depression of the time, and the thinking behind white being popular is that the colour represents purification of thoughts and actions, as well as the removal of blockages in any path. Certainly a much better, and more hopeful thought process, than the general one of the period.  Rather like her larger 'sister' Ivory, Bella Blanche has all the classic designs and styles associated with high quality Knickerbocker manufacturing in the early 1930s. The only difference between the two bears is the scaling down of feature sizes in Bella's case. At a petite 12" tall this gorgeous little lady comes in a beautiful all original condition, with the exception of her glass eyes, which are now the equivalent size and style replacements to her production pair. These originals had, at some point in her past, been removed and previously replaced with flat and totally ineffective versions that were most probably the result of Bella's first pair being easily pulled out by a young owner. The Knickerbocker trademark head shape of a slightly flattened circle carries large ears, cupped across the facial seams and a pert muzzle, that itself supports an ovular shaped, vertically stitched nose, with the tiniest of feltrums and indifferent mouth. Internally the filling is all early kapok, with excelsior only to the head. Proportions of the arms are long and curved in comparison to the slender body, that houses an inoperative squeaker. The legs are straight with small feet. All paw pads are the original felt that has slightly discoloured with age, in keeping with the body mohair. The latter has very little thinning and loss, and is again a credit to the former owner. All joints are in good condition, if a little stiff in movement, due to their size and age. Bella Blanche is the most adorable of little bears, who will certainly win the hearts of many collectors, and hopefully win the comfort of a new home.  The vintage and antique bear market is going through, what can only be termed, as a period of developing change. In other words, world markets for all old, used, antique, secondhand and otherwise not brand new items has been settling in line with National and International monetary situations. The worldwide credit crunch has coincided, in the case of teddy bears, with a dearth of products from the major, well known manufacturers. This has been accentuated by a rise in the number of new collectors, all of whom seek their own personal choices and conditions. Whereas the 2002-2004 period bear interest lay mainly with high quality, well maintained bruins, who also retained some form of identity, the present trend has seen the very much worn and genuinely loved original become the popular choice. Add the fact that there are only so many high, original quality 'teds' out there, then the market has to alter it's direction accordingly.  Choccy Chip is a very cute little Knickerbocker from the early 1930s period of production. His original brown mohair is consistent in colouration overall, with very little thinning. For his size and mohair length he is in a remarkably good condition, with all original features in situ. Choccy's arms are long and curved, whilst the legs are straight with small, defined, feet. All paw pads are velvet and have maintained much of their original covering and colour. The head is trademark Knickerbocker triangular shape, solidly filled with excelsior, with the alignment of the rear surface area and the bear's back. In other words, the company never incorporated a hump into their bruin styles and designs. This might have been one of the reasons behind Knickerbocker lagging behind in popularity, compared to other major producers of the pre WW2 period. An almost subliminal suggestion of a 'modern' creation, as opposed to a product of the greatest period of bear demand. Whatever the reasons behind 'Knickerbocker Apathy', there is certainly no doubting that their time is not far away. Quality will always rise to the surface, and when there are bears who are well maintained, partly due to their original materials being of a superior standard, then the demand will eventually turn towards them. Choccy Chips has a slightly wide eyed expression, created by his amber and glass originals. These sit above the early 30's unclipped muzzle, all original 'square' style stitched nose, small feltrum and deep set, inverted 'v' mouth. Internally, the body and limbs come kapok filled and support an inoperative squeaker. This beautiful all original little bear, is small enough to fit the most limited space in a hug. His cuteness is undeniable, and is coupled with a huge heart, just waiting to share his little life with you. |
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