Meet my pretty little Gebruder Bing teddy bear. Alas, she was mine but for a short time. I am an eBay seller and cannot afford to keep many of the fabulous items that I find. Unfortunately, this sweet antique bear fell into that category. I loved her but could not keep her but nor could I sell her until I knew who she was. Here is what I discovered in my quest for knowledge.
According to Let's Talk Teddy Bears, the company Gebruder Bing was established in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1863 but they were not a teddy bear manufacturer until much later. In 1881, they started making metal toys and had grown to become the biggest toy maker by the early 1900s. In 1907, they stepped into the teddy bear craze of the day but not without some difficulties.
Bing's bears, it is said, were much like those produced by the well-known toy manufacturer Steiff. They wore a metal 'button' on their ear in the same manner that Steiff plush toys did. Eventually, to appease Steiff, Bing was forced to move the metal tag from the ear to the left arm and then finally to the right arm. Bing also switched to calling the 'button' a 'tag.' They did not make bears for long. In 1932, the company folded.
My bear still had the little metal tag on her arm that represented Bing Werke. The tag was the key to identifying her though I will give credit to the bear collectors who shared that information with me. I do not have a photograph of the tag but it was on her right arm and it was a red round metal button with a B, W and Germany on it, which according to Minka's Bear Passion, dates her to between 1919 and 1927.
Bing bears, as I quickly found out, are still hotly sought after in any condition. As is evidenced in the photograph, my bear was quite worn, obviously much beloved by a previous owner or perhaps a number of owners. Given that she could be a hundred years old, I think that was understandable.
When I listed her, I corresponded with a number of collectors and potential buyers. Some of them felt that she needed restoration and I would not argue with them. However, others were prepared to love her as she was given that this is the authentic state of a bear who is antique and who proudly displays a century of life.
The lady who eventually purchased my bear is a collector who was anxious to add a Bing bear to her collection and she was thrilled to acquire this one. In our discussions, we wondered if this bear started off with a German child or if she was exported from Germany right away. If she was, we wondered, where did she go? When and how did she arrive in Canada? There are so many unanswered questions.
What a fascinating story. One never thinks about a stuffed bear having a history. Amazing that a teddy bear toy is still around after 100 years. Quite the antique find, indeed.
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