Kathy Martin - Merrythought Teddy Bears

I F THIS book has fired your enthusiasm for Merrythought teddy bears, you may be keen to start collecting. Thats great but its best not to buy anything until youve done some homework.

For knowledge and experience of old bears, nothing beats looking at and, wherever possible, holding and examining them. Museums can be excellent places to view old teddies but their disadvantage is that since the exhibits are behind glass, you cant get hold of them and give them a thoroughly good examination. Luckily, auction viewings offer unlimited opportunities for close, hands-on inspection, and as long as you ask politely and are careful, dealers specialising in vintage bears will usually be happy to let you handle their stock. Many of these dealers exhibit at teddy bear fairs held up and down the country. Its worth getting to know the dealers, firstly because they have masses of useful information about different types of bear, and secondly because if you give them your contact details, theyll keep you informed of any interesting Merrythoughts they get in. Most dealers also operate excellent websites so once you know and trust them, you can spend many happy hours browsing online. While buying old bears online from an unknown source is not the best idea, if the website belongs to someone you know to be reputable, online shopping gives you the chance to hunt for desirable old bears whenever you want and from the comfort of your home.

The following listings include details of old bear dealers, teddy bear fairs, expert restoration, shops selling modern Merrythought bears, museums, auctioneers and useful publications. The list is by no means definitive as there are literally dozens of other reputable names that could have been included but this should help get you started. Happy hunting!

Auctioneers

• Bonhams hold regular toy sales that include vintage teddy bears, both at their Knightsbridge, London saleroom and at Knowle in the Midlands. www.bonhams.com/toys
• Vectis regular sales of all types of teddy bears and soft toys including vintage, modern limited editions and artist-made bears. www.vectis.co.uk

Fairs

• Winter BearFest (February) and Teddies Festival (September) organised by Hugglets Festivals, these events which are held at Kensington Town Hall in London are widely regarded as the UKs best teddy bear fairs. www.hugglets.co.uk
• The London International Antique and Artist Dolls, Toys, Miniatures & Teddy Bear Fairs organised by Grannys Goodies Fairs and held four times a year at Kensington Town Hall in London www.grannys-goodiesfairs.com
• The Great Doll & Teddy Fair organised by Debbie Woodhouse and held three times a year at the National Motorcycle Museum, Bickenhill, Nr. Birmingham. Telephone 01530 274377 or 07973 760881
• Cornwall and Devon Bear Fairs organised by Emmary Fairs and held at Exmouth, Devon in May and Lostwithiel, Cornwall in June and November www.emmarybears.co.uk
• Leeds Doll & Teddy Fair organised by Dolly Domain Fairs, this event is held in March and October at Pudsey Civic Hall, New Pusdey www.dolly-domain.com

Museums

• Puppenhausmuseum glorious museum in Basel, Switzerland which includes some great old Merrythought bears in its wonderful displays www.puppenhausmuseum.ch
• V&A Museum of Childhood based in Londons Bethnal Green, this off-shoot of the famous V&A houses a vast collection of old toys including teddy bears, a few Merrythoughts amongst them www.vam.ac.uk/moc
• British Bear Collection extensive collection of British-made teddy bears, currently on loan to Wookey Hole Caves attraction www.wookey.co.uk

Publications

• Collect It this glossy monthly magazine addresses all aspects of collecting but includes regular features and occasional supplements on the subject of bear collecting www.warnersgroup.co.uk
• UK Teddy Bear Guide published annually by Hugglets Publishing, this book is invaluable to collectors as it contains details of fairs, dealers, shops, restorers and much more www.hugglets.co.uk

Shops selling modern Merrythought bears

• Ironbridge Gorge Museum Shop, Coach Road, Coalbrookdale, Telford, Shropshire TF8 7DQ www.ironbridge.org.uk/shop
• The Bear Garden, 10 Jeffries Passage, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4AP www.beargarden.co.uk
• The Bear Huggery, Tower House, Castle Street, Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 2EZ www.thebearhuggery.co.uk
• The Bear Shops, 18 Elm Hill, Norwich NR3 1HN www.bearshops.co.uk
• Sue Pearson Dolls & Teddy Bears, 18 Brighton Square, The Lanes, Brighton BN1 1HD www.suepearson.co.uk
• Teddy Bears of Witney, 99 High Street, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 6HY www.teddybears.co.uk

Specialist old bear dealers

• All You Can Bear specialists in vintage and artist bears www.allyoucanbear.com
• Bourton Bears antique and vintage bear specialists www.bourtonbears.com
• Daniel Agnew former Christies teddy bear and soft toy expert, now turned dealer and valuer www.danielagnew.com
• Leanda Harwood stocks a large selection of good quality vintage bears and soft toys telephone 01529 300737
• The Teddy Bear Chest home to a wide selection of vintage teddy bears dating from 1902 to 1940 www.theteddybearchest.co.uk

Teddy Bear Restoration

• Dot Bird specialising in sympathetic restoration of vintage teddy bears telephone 01765 607131 or visit at Winter BearFest/Teddies Festivals