How to Recognize a Collectible Miniature Teddy Bear

SIZE: A true collectible miniature teddy bear should conform to dollhouse scale - 1 inch to every 1 foot. According to the International Hunters website:

"The length of a bear is measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. Adult male average lengths (ranges) are listed below.
American Black Bear 6 ft.
Brown Bear 7-10 ft.
Polar Bear 8.4 ft."

Thus, to conform to dollhouse scale, the maximum height for a miniature teddy bear would be between 5.5" and 7.9", since we always measure a teddy bear from the top of its head to the bottom of its feet, rather than to the tip of its nose.

HOWEVER, most collectors will not consider a miniature teddy bear as a true collectible if it exceeds about 3.5" in height. The Teddy Bear Review magazine's "Golden Teddy Awards" miniature category allows a maximum height of only 3"!

If your miniature teddy bear is 3-3.5" or less in height, you can be certain that it meets most collectors' and clubs' standards for size. Generally, the smaller the teddy bear is without losing its good form, the higher its ultimate resale value.

PROPORTION: A genuine collectible miniature teddy bear must look just like a regular sized teddy bear. In other words, without something in the photo to give perspective, it should look just like a regular teddy bear.

How big is Boo Boo bear on the right?

...Boo Boo is only 1.75" tall!

Here is an example of a tiny miniature that sort of "fell apart" in the construction process. Because it no longer looks the same as if it were a regular sized bear, it can not be considered a true collectible...

It is, however, part of a collection! There are collectors looking for existing artists' mistakes. This is a riskier investment, but could turn out to be very valuable if the artist becomes internationally well known.

ORIGINALITY: A collectible miniature teddy bear must be an original design. Sometimes that means it is a limited run; other times, it is an OOAK -- One Of A Kind. Sometimes it is produced by a reputable company (such as Steiff); other times, it is an artist bear designed and created by a teddy bear artist.

Both company-produced and artist-produced miniature teddy bears make good collectibles. However, the best investment is to purchase several miniature teddy bears from up-and-coming teddy bear artists, then hang on to them while the artist makes a name. This way, you can buy in cheap and sell high. The catch is that you will be taking a risk that your artist won't catch on...

My choice would be to buy when a miniature teddy bear artist is becoming better known but is not yet out of reach financially.

FABRIC: Miniature teddy bear artists use a variety of materials, from miniature mohair to felt to velvet. In order to be considered a true collectible miniature, the fabric must be long enough to give the finished bear a plush look.

Note that there is a trend toward needle-felted miniatures, these days. Time will tell whether they will gain the same status as plush miniatures.

The fabric of choice for collectible miniatures is long pile upholstery velvet. There are two types of this material, the newer kind and the 1950s vintage rayon kind. The newer kind is much longer in pile and makes a very sweet, fluffy miniature teddy bear, such as the one pictured at left...

...while the vintage long pile creates a miniature teddy bear with a much sought-after "vintage" look, like the one pictured here.

Both fabrics are popular with collectors of miniature teddy bears.

PAW PADS: Paw pads should be inset, and ideally made of ultrasuede. However, while this may affect the value of your little bear, it is not a requirement for a true collectible.

JOINTS: A collectible miniature teddy bear should have jointed limbs. At least the arms and legs must be moveable - this is called "4-way" jointing. If the head is also jointed and moveable, this is "5-way" jointing.

Joints may be cotter pin & disk (ideal), homemade pin & disk, or made of strong thread. Thread joints may break down over the years, but unless you anticipate saving the teddy bear for generations, this is probably not much of a problem.

Pictured on the left is a set of cotter pin & disk joints, for a 5-way jointed miniature teddy bear.

EYES: These can be any of the following:
* genuine onyx round beads
* glass beads
* acrylic post & washer
* glass eyes on wires or with loops

As long as they are not something like google-eyes (see photo), they are acceptable on a collectible miniature teddy bear.

NOSES: These may be:
* hand cast resin
* glass
* plastic or acrylic post & washer
* embroidery floss

As with eyes, as long as the nose is not a stick-on or other cheap-looking item, it will be acceptable on a collectible miniature teddy bear.

The little bear in this photo has genuine onyx round bead eyes and a black plastic post & washer nose.

SEAMS: This is a very important detail for a true collectible miniature! All seams must be turned - that is, the individual parts must be stitched inside out, then carefully turned.

If you see seams that look like they were stitched from the outside, such as the ones at left, then it is unlikely that your little bear is of true collectible quality.

SPECIAL DESIGNS:

Bunnies, Kittens, Puppies, etc. - Even if your miniature teddy bear is not technically a "bear," it can still meet club standards for being a collectible, as long as it meets the other qualifications!

Roly Poly Bears - These are bears, but without lower limbs. The body is usually a round ball shape. In the photo at the left, the roly poly bear is more of an oval...still okay, but less popular than a shorter, rounder roly poly bear.

Here is an example of a high quality collectible miniature teddy bear, made by Inge Bears (in South Africa). Little "Joshi" is just 3.5" tall, made of German miniature mohair, 5-way disc-jointed, with German glass eyes and ultrasuede paw pads. His little nose is embroidered with embroidery floss.