Where to Shop for Steiff Teddy Bear Collectibles

When it comes to collecting toys, a surefire front runner would have to be Steiff teddy bear collectibles. The long and colorful history together with durability, charm and beauty have earned these toys the honor of being one of the most favorite and highly sought after teddy bear among collectors all over the world. If you are aspiring to be one or are already part of the family, you would obviously want to know where you can score pieces. Below is a list of these places.

·         Vintage Toy Shops

Believe it or not, there are still numerous toy shops that cater to vintage pieces. Here you will find not only Steiff teddy bears but also various other items coming from different decades. If you want success here, it is important that you are fairly knowledgeable so you no mix-ups or “mistaken identity” cases will take place while you shop.

·         Antique Stores

This one is a huge hit or miss. One can never really know what treasures you can find in an antique store. There are hundreds of knickknacks all over but if you’re keen or lucky enough, you might just find one. It doesn’t hurt to pay your local antique shop a visit once in a while.

·         Garage Sales

Many people also dispose their old toys through garage sales. Others even sell old collectibles or pieces owned by previous family members. If a garage sale happens to be near you area try stopping by and taking a look. A Steiff teddy bear might be looking for a new owner.

·         Collectors’ Events

For both amateur and professional collectors, events and gatherings may be held. If there is one near you then don’t hesitate to participate. You can widen your network plus someone might be up to sell one of their collections or even willing to do barter. If not, the worst thing that could happen is you find people with the same hobbies and passion as yours. Not bad right?

·         Auctions

Many of the world’s most expensive and sought after Steiff collectibles are being sold at auctions. A lot of limited edition items often end up here so if you are up for those then you might fancy attending one.

·         World Wide Web

Thanks to the internet, you can already shop for Steiff teddy bear collectibles online. It’s easier, faster and more convenient. Just keep your guard up because fraudsters are everywhere even in cyberspace.

Keeping Your Stuffed Animals Away from Gunk and Clutter

As children most of us had stuffed animals for toys. As a matter of fact, even as adults a lot of us still find them endearing. Others even collect them as a hobby and as an entrepreneurial venture. Do know that a lot of toys actually have huge values on them. Of course these are the limited edition ones with so much history in them. Now we all want to keep these stuffed furry animal friends for a long time and to do that, cleaning and regular upkeep are necessary. Worry not about such feat as Steiffteddybears.co.uk is here to help us keep our stuffed animals away from gunk and clutter!

Get to know the toys you have. It is important for you to know how each item has to be taken care of. They aren’t made of the same materials after all. At the same time some of them may have certain features and accessories that need special tending. It is wise to read the care and washing instructions found on their tags. Should that be absent, a little internet search should do the trick.

Provide proper storage as well. If the stuffed toys are often played with as is with children, keeping them in a box with a lid or a shelving unit would be practical as they would often be used and taken out. If they are collectables then high shelving especially those with glass doors are best to keep dust and dirt from settling. If you plan on keeping them stored for a long time, avoid placing them in plastic bags as that can create moisture and encourage rotting of the toy’s fur or air.

Give them some rub-a-dub-dub. Be sure to wash them when needed. This will depend on use. To keep it safe only use mild soap and lukewarm water. Place it in a mesh bag or pillow case before dropping it in your washing machine to keep any accessories from getting lost should their adhesive or stitch loosen up. When drying keep it away from any amount of hit as that could fade out colors.

Bring them to a toy hospital. Should your stuffed animals be in pretty bad shape, getting them to a toy repair shop would be wise says the team at Steiffteddybears.co.uk. They not only will provide the repairs needed but they too will eradicate all the gunk and dirt from the toys.

 

Common Cleaning Mistakes for Your Teddy Bears

Most adults would agree that as kids, one had a specific favorite when it comes to their toys. Even the kids of today are often seen carrying their most treasured item among their humungous pile. In most cases, the toys that we love ever so dearly are teddy bears. They are a definite classic when it comes to this department and so are other stuffed animals. One has to admit however that the teddy bear trumps them all to a certain degree.

This then makes teddy bears as the most played with item and therefore ends up as the dirtiest at the end of the day. It’s pretty safe to clean and wash these toys but there are still common mistakes that people commit when giving them some spa treatment cleaning spree. Read on so you know what to avoid.

Mistake # 1: Washing without knowledge. There are toys that have washing specifications. Others can be safely tossed into your washing machine. Some need to be hand washed and there too are those that should only be dry-cleaned. Check for the tags and labels of the manufacturer for proper guidance.

Mistake # 2: Forgetting to protect the toy. If machine washing is okay to be done then see to it that you place your teddy bear inside a pillow case or a mesh bag. This is done so as to prevent any accessories, ribbons or buttons from being lost and from clogging up the machine should they detach. It also pads up the toy from the bumps.

Mistake # 3: Hanging it up for air drying. It is safe to air dry your toy but make sure to drain it from all the water first or else it becomes much too heavy. The weight will cause sagging if not rips.

Mistake # 4: Letting it soak up some sun to dry. This is bad for the toy’s hair or fur as the heat exposure can make it lose out and fade its color. Also some accessories can melt out and be deformed. Remember to avoid this at all costs.

Mistake # 5: Not bringing it to a professional when you need to. Some toys are dirty and damaged beyond repair. Others on the other hand are special collector’s pieces. You might want to bring them to a professional cleaner to get rid of the dirt and the bugs that might be lurking inside the teddy bears’ stuffing. Some toys need special care every once in a while and attempting to do it on your own might cause more damage than good.

A Thing or Two on Steiff Collectible Bears

When it comes to the manufacture and production of stuffed bears and animals, the Steiff Toy Company has surely dominated the market for decades now. In fact, a number of vintage Steiff collectible bears are sought after by many collectors worldwide, both young and young at heart. If you look closely, the said collectors date back even up to the creation of the company itself and their prized possessions are passed from generation to generation. Apart from bears, there are even other collectible toys like the skittle and animals on wheels to name a few. In fact, Margarete Steiff, the founder of this infamous toy line, started making elephants instead and sold them as pin cushions but later on became a toy than a sewing buddy.

Steiff Collectible Bears - Louis Vuitton and Titanic Editions

To give you a little trivia, did you know what item sold and cost the most? Of course, one could deduce that it was a teddy bear and these happened during the year 2000 where it sold for $2.1 million at a charity auction at the Teddies de L’An in Monaco. It was a designer bear called the Steiff Louis Vuitton. Other notable sales include the Steiff Titanic mourning bear for £91,750 in the same year, the Steidd Rod for £82,000 in 2002, the Steiff Elliot for £49,500 in 1993 and the Steiff Teddy Girl for £110,000 in 1994.

When buying one, you must make sure that they are still in good condition. You were a kid once and it is but common that the most favorite and well loved toys suffer the most damage from wear and tear.

The most sought after models are those that were unpopular with the kids in the past indicating that their number of availability is at a low. Some of these vintage stuffed animals are even produced only at certain period of time such as the panda bears manufactured from the 1930s to the 1960s. 

Steiff Trademark - Button In Ear

Steiff collectible bears are identified by an embossed trademark button or tag in their left ear that is the “Steiff” name, an elephant logo or both. To identify a limited edition from a replica, try to check the tags at the ear too. White ones with a red lettering mean a limited one of a kind edition toy while a white tag with black lettering mean that the toy is a replica of the limited edition variant. In general, the toys have yellow tags attached on their ears.