November 15, 2024 • 32 mins
Welcome to the enchanting world of vintage teddy bear collecting, a fascinating realm where childhood nostalgia meets the art of high-stakes auctions. British teddy expert Daniel Agnew, has worked with Christie's South Kensington, the London Toy Auction, and now with SAS, Special Auction Services in the United Kingdom. Daniel shares his wealth of knowledge and passion for these timeless companions and the factors that contribute to the high market value of certain bears.
Listeners are treated to an inside look at the upcoming December 3, 2024, auction at Special Auction Services. This highly anticipated event promises to be a highlight for vintage bear lovers worldwide, with the potential to break world records. Daniel Agnew shares the excitement of preparing for this auction and the anticipation of connecting collectors with their cherished finds.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to the Doll Podcast.
I'm your host, louisa Maxwell.
This is a Doll Podcast with adifference.
It's part of our new featureentitled Collectible
Conversations, where we talkabout great collections, and
today we're talking teddy bearswith British teddy expert Daniel
(00:29):
Agnew, because, after all, ifyou love dolls, you probably
love bears too.
So I hope you enjoy this newfeature.
Collecting antique and vintageteddy bears is a hobby rich in
history and emotion.
Each bear is an intimateportrait of itself and its owner
(00:51):
too.
Teddies are a comfort to uswhen we're young, becoming
cherished confidants andcompanions.
Often, that bond is neverbroken and some teddies remain
with us for all our lives.
And some teddies remain with usfor all our lives.
Over time, teddy bears haveevolved from simple toys for
children to cherish friends thathold a special place in the
(01:12):
hearts of both children andadults.
Antique and vintage bears aresought-after collectibles, and
many rare bears have hit theheadlines with price tags in the
hundreds of thousands.
These bears have gone on tobecome celebrities in their own
right.
So what makes these bears sovaluable?
Well, to help us answer thatquestion, my guest is Daniel
(01:36):
Agnew, one of the world'sleading antique teddy bear
specialists, having worked withChristie's South Kensington, the
London Toy Auction, and nowwith SAS Special Auction
Services in the United Kingdom.
Daniel Agnew, welcome to ourspecial teddy bear podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
It's exciting, it's really exciting and we're
recording live from SAS and Isee that behind you you have
lots of teddy bears all waitingto go under the hammer at some
date.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
So all those boxes are full up as well.
So that's all a big, hugecollection of teddy bears that
come from the Isle of man.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Oh, my goodness.
I mean there's something likewell, there's over 12 huge
moving boxes of wonderful bears,so we may hear some noises of
people moving things around inthe auction room.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yes, but I think that I'm in.
I'm in that warehouse, so youknow, I can't actually hear
anything because I've got myheadphones on, but presumably
there might be something goingon behind me, but, um, hopefully
not to be honest, it makes itmore fun and exciting, because
this is really where I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
We see the auctions as teddy bear lovers from front
of house.
But you are not only front ofhouse bringing us the bears, but
you're also the backstageexpert who has to go through all
these provenances, all thesevarious bears, and it's an
extraordinary process, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
it is, yes, and it's great fun though, but, um, yeah,
we, it's not not so glamorousin our warehouse, um and but we
have a lot of stock coming inand out all the time, and you
know I've been.
You know our sales have justexploded over the last few years
and I used to have two auctionsa year.
I've gone up to four auctions ayear and now I'm this year I'm
(03:28):
having seven, so it's it'sreally a bit full on at the
moment, but, uh, enjoying it.
But, um, a lot of people wantto come here to sell, so that's
exciting so do you think?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
teddy bear auctions worldwide is it becoming more of
a phenomenon?
Are more people entering thehobby?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I don't know if it's more people entering.
I mean, there's a steady flowof new people, but not en masse.
I think the big en masse was inthe 90s, but now, sadly, we've
got to that stage in the worldof dolls and teddy bears where a
lot of our collectors aregetting older and they're now
choosing to sell theircollections.
So that's more why I'm busy,rather than there being loads
(04:08):
more buyers, but they're still abit.
You know particularly teddybears.
They're still a very strongsubject for the right thing.
You know, the good bears areselling extremely well.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Well, december 3rd 2024 is going to be a
save-the-date event for vintagebear lovers around the world, as
some of the most sought-afterand precious bears go under the
hammer in England.
Daniel, you've sold some of themost expensive bears in the
world, including the PaulGreenwood collection of bears,
(04:38):
which sold for £1 million, andnow you're about to auction
another collection of preciousbears.
What makes a teddy bear sovaluable?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, not all teddy bears are valuable.
I mean, I think I always sayit's a very affordable subject.
You know, you can buy a reallyquite an old teddy bear for as
little as 10 or 20 pounds.
But you can also spend manythousands of pounds on them.
But they're generally the verybest ones and they don't come
along very often.
So it's either it's like veryrare and made by a very good
(05:13):
maker and in very good condition, or it's got some really
interesting provenance thatexcites people.
So it's that individually, orit's a combination of the two,
that can make them worth tens ofthousands of pounds.
Now it's very unusual to beworth a bear to be worth beyond
ten thousand.
Mostly expensive bears that Isell are probably between a
(05:36):
thousand and eight, ten thousand, something like that in pounds.
But every now and thensomething very special comes
along and then it does make 10,20, 30.
I mean, the most expensive pairI've ever sold was a, a black
steif, for 91 and a halfthousand pounds.
Um, and at christie's we we hadthe world record for a while,
(05:58):
which was teddy girl, whobelonged to colonel bob
henderson, which was,000.
The world record is more thanthat.
Now I can't remember the exactamount, but it's well over
£100,000.
But you know we've gotpotential here.
We've got world record breakersin this collection, so
(06:18):
hopefully, you know we might getsome good results.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Vintage bear collectors are known as
arctophiles, derived from theGreek arctus bear and philos
love.
Collections of bears are aptlydescribed as a hug.
Isn't that wonderful.
Ian Pout of Teddy Bears ofWhitney is a noted arctophile.
His shop in England, whichhouses a distinguished
(06:42):
collection of antique bears, isa place of pilgrimage for many a
collector, including myself.
Ian Pout has decided to partwith many of his most famous
bears in this auction, daniel,it must be a difficult decision
for him to make.
How did Ian decide what bearsto part with?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, you know, if anyone's been to ian's shop in
whitney in oxfordshire, it's,it's such a beautiful, fabulous
and.
But the museum is fairly, fairlysmall.
It's like a small room in theback of the shop and a few other
cabinets, but it's just themost perfect selection of teddy
bears and related items.
So the shop is still there andit's still going to be there and
(07:24):
it's still full of wonderfulteddy bears to buy.
But this is his museum and he'she's almost 80 now and he's
having a little step back fromit all and it's quite a
responsibility to have all thesewonderful bears.
So he's just decided it is timenow to find them new homes.
I mean, he's already sold someof his bears.
(07:45):
I know that his black stife,ophelo, went quite a few years
ago and he's also sold hisamazing red stife, which was
Alfonso, and that's gone to amuseum, which is great.
I've always wanted to have soldthat bear.
That's one of the bears thatwas on my sort of tick list of
I'd love to sell one day.
But we've got no shortage ofamazing bears and you know, on
(08:08):
my I guess perhaps top of mytick list is one of the bears
that is coming up for auction.
But he's basically decided tosell everything that's in the
museum apart from his own bearthat he had as a child.
He's hanging onto that.
But everything else that yousee when you go to Whitney is up
for auction and it's all justto get the best price on the day
(08:29):
.
You know we're going toestimate things, but he just
wants it sold.
And what's so nice about thissubject?
He just wants them to go on totheir next stage of their life.
They go to their nextcollectors.
Maybe some will go to museums,go to collections all over the
world, and those bears will bearound forever more and continue
their journey.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's an amazing shop and museum.
I mean you go thinking, oh,I'll be there for an hour and
three hours later you're stillthere.
There's just so much to see, somuch to look at and such a warm
and charming group of peoplewho run the shop and the museum.
It's an incredible place tovisit.
Nobody should miss it.
(09:11):
Ian Pout such an amazingcollector and collection.
We've been so lucky to be ableto explore the collection of
rare bears while he had them athis shop, and the shop is still
open and there are manywonderful bears still waiting
there to delight.
So Ian has decided that thecollection must make its way to
(09:32):
new homes and the bears have nowtravelled from their home at
Teddy Bears of Whitney in theCotswolds near Oxford to your
warehouse at Special AuctionServices in Newbury, berkshire,
daniel.
This is going to be a rareopportunity for people to meet
these beautiful bears.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Three or four weeks before the auction.
We'll pick them up, bring themhere and they'll be on view here
for a good week and sale weekas well.
So you know you'll get to seethem and most of them you'll
probably be able to handle aswell.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
So you know you'll get to see them and most of them
you'll probably be able tohandle as well.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
I think we'll probably restrict handling on a
few of them, you know, becausepeople want to see these things.
If they're going to spend lotsof money, you need to hand them.
So I always say coming to anauction is so good, it's like
going to a museum where you canactually handle things, and it's
a really good way to learnabout teddy bears by handling
them.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
It's an incredible experience and even if you can't
afford you know Happy or one ofthe other amazing bears that
are going to be in this auctionthere'll probably be something
you'll find.
And meanwhile you've had thisexperience where you've learned
so much.
It's just incredible.
Had this experience whereyou've learned so much, it's
(10:48):
just incredible.
So I mentioned Happy, and she'sa beautiful jewel, plush
Stiefmoor hair bearer who'sgoing to be, I think, one of the
stars of this auction.
She's got those big brown eyesand she dates from the mid-1920s
and she came to worldwideattention in 1989 when London
auction house Sotheby's soldHappy for £55,000.
(11:09):
She was the first teddy bear toappear in the Guinness Book of
World Records as the mostexpensive bear in the world
Vintage bear enthusiasts.
On the day of that auction,they were astonished to find
that the guide price was £700 to£900, and she went for such a
huge price tag.
What made Happy so special?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, I've known about Happy, you know, for since
1989, which is the same year Istarted at Christie's actually
and you know I'd never actuallyseen her in the, I think.
Actually she was at one teddybear fair in Germany years ago
and I saw her from a longdistance away because Rosemary
was holding her.
But this is the first time I'veactually, when I went to visit
(11:53):
Ian was the first time Iactually got to hold her and she
has huge presence.
She literally took my breathaway.
She is so beautiful, she's insuch a lovely condition and she
is so beautiful, she's in such alovely condition and she is
just so rare.
I mean, I have sold a similarbear before in very poor
condition, but this is justexceptional and she was made in
(12:15):
very small numbers, with thesebig eyes, and we don't really
know why she was made.
And at the time, you know, theworld record price in 1989 was
Alfonso, which was 12,000.
So to make for something tosuddenly go for 55,000 was a
huge leap and it sort of shockeda lot of people.
I recently spoke to BunnyCampioni, who was the specialist
(12:38):
and auctioneer at the time, andshe's the lady who appeared in
all the newspapers at the timeholding the spare.
And, yes, she, she put seven tonine hundred pounds on it.
But when it actually got intothe auction, the interest, she
raised the estimate a bit, butshe didn't take it up too high.
But yes, I think the the answerwas.
I asked her why she thought ithad sold so much and, um, there
(13:00):
was just two people who werequite determined to have it and
they both left with individualpeople, their agent, a buying
bid, just buy it.
But no one thought that for asecond, two people would be
doing that and that would begoing, you know, getting so high
.
So, yes, it was amazing and itstood as a world record for such
(13:21):
a long time well, you know,fairly long time but slowly the
market caught up with it.
So I mean, a few years later,we, you know christie's we sold
a blue steif for 49 and a halfthousand and then a few more
years later we had teddy gale.
So then that record was finallybeaten.
But, yeah, no, it is, she isexceptional and she has gone on
(13:43):
to.
You know, I think after theywere a bit, I think paul and
rose revolt were a bit shockedwhen they got the, the bill for
it, but they were delighted withit and they decided because it
became such a famous bear thatthey would use it for good.
So they then started travelingaround the world and raising
money for charity with the bear.
So you know, it's gone on to doamazing things and, uh, ian
(14:06):
bought him a few years ago.
Um, and with the rest of thevaults collection it's all in
the, the museum and you knowthey're going on to a new home
and who knows?
I mean I've estimated to her atjust 20 to 30 000, but who
knows who's gonna might want tospend more on it these days.
Hopefully there'll be someoneout, someone out there and we
(14:28):
might get a nice result.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
She's priceless in many ways, she's a beautiful
bear.
I think so.
Yes, she definitely is.
So she is not the only star inthis auction, because bears not
only make the news for theirrarity, but some bears have been
known to steal the show intelevision dramas.
A bear called Aloysius starredwith Jeremy Irons and Anthony
(14:52):
Andrews in the ITV 1980s dramaBrideshead Revisited.
Aloysius is another bear in IanPout's collection and he's
expected to achieve a price tagof between $20,000 and $ 30,000
at auction in December.
Besides his star quality andthe marvellous acting ability he
(15:12):
had in Brideshead Revisited,what makes him so valuable?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Well, strangely, you know, as a bear he's not a very
valuable bear.
I mean, he's a 1910 Americanteddy bear.
When he starred in BridesheadRevisited he was in really quite
nice condition.
But he was owned by a characteractor called Peter Ball who
starred in films and stages andso forth and he was one of the
(15:39):
first teddy bear collectors inthe world.
And I think when they decidedobviously they wanted to cast a
teddy bear as the role ofAloysius, I think they must have
known Peter was a collector, sothey turned to him to supply a
bear and he did and this bearsort of really did steal the
show, um, and was actually.
(16:00):
I mean it was a huge successthis sort of period drama.
But you know, I think it reallywas important in the world of
teddy bears.
So you know there wasn't thatmany collectors of old teddy
bears before 1981.
There were some, but not many.
But just seeing this reallywonderful, beautiful, antique
(16:20):
teddy bear in this period dramareally inspired a lot of people
to start collecting teddy bearsand I know many of people who
have said that was where theirinterests started from.
So he has that to begin with.
After he was in the drama hethen went on the road with Peter
Ball and used to go on chatshows, used to go all over the
(16:43):
place and he has since.
You know he was needed patchingconstantly because he's a 115
year old teddy bear so normallyit's best you just sit them in
the cabinet, not play with themor hand them too much.
But he was well and trulyhandled so he sort of had to
have running repairs as he wentand I think he's just this sort
(17:04):
of myth has built up around him.
He's such a key figure in thebear world but I think it's
that's what's going to reallyattract the attention as just a
teddy bear in his condition.
Perhaps he's only worth a fewhundred pounds now, as you know.
But for his provenance and hishistory and you know just the
(17:25):
fact that you own the originalaloysius and you know just the
fact that you own the originalAloysius is such a big thing
that hopefully you know we'veestimated 20 to 30,000 and
hopefully he'll make a goodprice.
I think so he's, you know he'sso important.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
He's a huge symbol in the teddy bear collecting world
.
And Peter Bull, I mean he wason the Late Late Show in the
United States.
Peter Bull, I mean, he was onthe Late Late Show in the United
States.
He was on every major talk showinternationally with his bears
and he wrote books.
And so I think Aloysius has anamazing Hollywood pedigree
really, not just as a bear butalso as an actor.
He's been, he's really treadthe boards all over the world.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, no, definitely.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
What is it like then?
You're going to work with theseamazing bears like aloe,
vicious and happy.
They're going to come into youat sas special auction services.
What happens to the bears whenthey arrive?
Do they have vip green roomtreatment?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
well, um, I think, because they're coming into us
quite late, which is unusual.
Normally we have the items inlong before we publicize them or
do anything with them, catalogthem.
But we're going to catalog themin situ.
We're actually going there onmonday to um, catalog them and
photograph them all properly.
Um, but they will.
(18:46):
I think they'll come to,they'll be packed up nicely and
then they'll probably beunpacked and actually there's a
very good chance that they'll beunpacked and going straight
onto a view.
We've got a specific area forthem which is all cabinets and
they'll probably go on viewstraight away.
And, yes, there will be a bitof red carpet treatment for them
and I think certainly they'lllook beautiful in view and
(19:10):
that's when people can come inand we'll probably do a bit more
press.
Invite the press along as apreview.
We're definitely going to havea teddy bears picnic on the
sunday beforehand, so that'll befun, you know it's.
We're on view the sales on the3rd of december and we'll view
on the saturday and sunday aswell, which just gives it a bit
more chance for more people tocome and see them and say hello
(19:32):
or farewell to them.
So, yeah, they'll definitelyget the special treatment until
the sale and you know we'll youknow, just wait with
anticipation to see whatactually happens.
It's a traditional room auctionso people can come to it, but
also it's going to be online, soit goes on to free auction
platforms and will be shown topeople all around the world and
(19:53):
so anyone can bid on the pieces.
Definitely, but we also you hadmentioned it earlier I
definitely wanted to make anauction where everyone can go
away with something in a way.
So it's going to be about.
I think it's going to bebetween 250 300 lots.
But ian's got a lot of littlebits and pieces of ephemera uh,
small, lesser value bears andpostcards and all sorts of
(20:16):
things, because he's a verytalented artist ian is and
creative, so his catalogs arebeautiful.
So there's lots of bits andpieces that we're going to add
into the auction so that lots ofpeople can come away with a
souvenir of of such an amazingplace and an amazing collector
well, it's funny you said thatabout.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
you know you may not be able to come away with the
high ticket item, but you maycome away and I've had a
companion with me since I thinkit was the last teddy bear
auction at Christie's was GilesBranderit's collection, if I'm
correct, that's right, yes, andwhat did I come away with but an
Aloysius.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I was there as a journalist and I saw this bear
and I'd seen BridesheadRevisited and £100, he was mine
and he's still with me.
He's been to Vienna, london,scotland, ireland.
This guy really travels theworld and I have no plans to
part with him.
He's a dear part of mycollection, so you know you can
(21:22):
be there you can't afford thebig ticket item, but you can
find something that will juststeal a little bit of your heart
, and that's what teddy bearsfor me anyway are all about yes,
no, exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I mean that was the 2007, I think that was yeah.
And giles, giles brandiff hadthis museum in
stratford-upon-avon and he had a.
He had a really quite a goodcross-section of things and the
I mean aloysius has beenreplicated a few times now.
He was replicated by peter ballin the first place.
That's what I've got, yeah andI think that's the one you've
(21:55):
got um, the one that was yeahand then um, since ian's had him
as well, he's done yes, they'relovely of him, so you can I
think you can still buy areplica of our aloysius if you
wanted to.
I think they're still live onhis website.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
It's a terrific story and it's lovely to add a bit of
history to your collection thathas, even if it's a
reproduction bear or you know.
It's all about creativity andthe love of bears.
So if somebody goes to thisfantastic auction and they fall
in love with a vintage orantique teddy bear and they
(22:30):
don't know a lot about vintageor antique teddy bears, what
should they be looking out inany auction or any place they're
buying a bear?
Speaker 2 (22:50):
you collect in a way, but the first thing to do is
always buy the best you possiblycan afford.
You know, and always you know Ithink that always proves right
in the long run that you knowthe better pieces that you buy
will always, you know, holdtheir own.
But you've also got to go withsomething that you love and you
know you've got to fall in lovewith that bear in the first
place.
And I mean I think there'salways the other thing to say.
I mean it's a bit differentwith this sale because it's got
(23:10):
so many unique individualcharacters in that.
I'm sure people will pay overthe odds in some cases, you know
, because they'll feel that theyjust have to have it.
But generally at auction thesedays, you do know that there's
another one coming along at somestage.
You know.
So perhaps not get I shouldn'treally say this, being an
auctioneer but perhaps don't getas carried away as as you used
(23:32):
to, literally in the.
When we were selling them atChristie's in the 90s there was
no online auctions and eBay typethings and very few places you
could go to buy an antique teddybear.
So you know it was a hotsubject then, so people were
just buying them, no matter whatreally, and uh, and paying, you
know, very strong prices.
Fortunately, a lot of thoseprices have now caught up with
(23:53):
themselves.
But, yes, just buy what youlike.
Um, condition I think conditionis quite important, but then
some people really love a bearthat looks old and battered like
his age.
So it's just it's knowing whatyou want out of things.
But I think when you're firstcoming to collecting, I think
you need to go, you learn aboutthe subject first, so you know,
(24:14):
go to auctions, get thereference books, really study it
and know where your interestslie.
And that's again that's whyauctions are quite good, because
you can actually go and look atall these things and learn what
mohair is and and and whatreally good quality felt is like
and how to tell whether a bearis in good condition.
(24:36):
It's not just about looking atthem, it's whether the material
was strong and ask people.
You know I'm here to helppeople, so you know I'm always
happy to answer questions andwalk people through the views
and that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
When it comes to those damaged bears, I'm just
terrible.
They're the ones I alwaysreally go for.
So what do you think about whenpeople restore a bear or repair
a bear?
Do you think it's a good idea,or should we just leave them
looking a little bit sad?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
good idea, or should we just leave them looking a
little bit sad?
Well, there's certain thingsyou kind of have to do because
you can't leave dirt on theteddy bear, because that rots
the, the mohair and you know anysort of holes, a perfect place
for a moth to get into.
So really you should dosomething.
But I think you have to be socareful.
It's a, it's not anyone.
Can you just come along andbecome a teddy bear restore just
(25:30):
because you can sew?
You know you've got to keepthat character.
And some people I see it timeand time again where they get an
100 year old teddy bear andthey treat it as if it's a new
teddy bear and they want it asclean as possible, they want it
as stuffed as possible and putnew pads on it and new eyes, and
it just loses its life.
(25:51):
Really, you've got to justyou've just got to take each
bear on its merit and just.
I mean my favorite repairs arewhat I call mum repairs.
When you know, when I get abear in from someone's attic,
often mum has just done somevery crude stitching on its foot
or covered it's a hole with aflowery material and I think
(26:14):
that's really lovely.
But you, just you do have to.
I do think you have to do acertain amount.
But then, saying that, there'salso, you know, you can get a
very old, perfect condition orvery near perfect condition bear
that just needs a light cleanand a hole in its pad, which
these days they can do aninvisible repair on.
That is a good way of doing itas well, because you end up with
(26:37):
a really, you know, magnificent, completely undamaged bear.
But it's just, it's again, it'sa personal choice and it
depends on how bad he is in thefirst place.
If they're really bad, I thinkyou have to go it that as being
their character and leave it asalone as possible.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
They're aging gracefully, yes, so how can we
find out more about this auctionin December?
Anyone can bid from any placein the world on your website.
Website on the SAS website oron.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, we have our own platform, which is on SAS
specialauctionservicescom, whichyou don't pay any extra for.
But we also host it onsellroomcom and live auctioneers
and you have to pay an extrafive percent for being on those.
So we always try and get peopleonto our platform because it's
cheaper, but that's always.
You know, some people are morecomfortable bidding on a
(27:30):
separate platform and so, yes, Imean already on our website
we've got some previews aboutthe bears.
You can sign up anytime andactually I always say to people
go to our website, sign up forany auction that's coming up and
just have a look at it and youknow you might be attracted and
put in a cheeky bid somewhere.
(27:50):
But just so you're comfortablewith bidding and how it all
works, make sure your passwordand all that sort of thing is
ready, so you don't want to bedoing that on the day and then
go.
I can't do it and uh, and itall goes wrong.
So I've got quite a big presenceon Facebook and Instagram, so
from now on I'm going to bereally plugging this auction so
there'll be a lot more featurescoming up on that so you can
(28:13):
follow me on Facebook.
I think I'm the only.
I mean it's quite easy to findDaniel Agnew surrounded by teddy
bears on Facebook, so youshould be able to find me.
There's lots of ways and, as Isaid, it's going to be a fun
auction.
So it's one of those saleswhich I say is like the sale to
come to if you can.
You know definitely it's got somany lovely things in it
(28:34):
there's going to be a real buzzabout it I'd love to come, but I
know the temptation would beterrible.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It's going to be the most fantastic auction and we're
going to be sharing lots ofdetails and some pictures on our
website.
So thank you so much forsharing so many wonderful
stories about this auction andso many details about these very
, very special bears and we lookforward to.
(29:05):
I imagine we can just tune inand follow along with the
auction.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Yes, if you don't want to spend any money, don't
actually sign up to bid, you canjust.
There's a watch button so youcan just watch it go and that's
great fun as well.
You know, just, I've got lotsof people who perhaps don't get
out as much as they used to andcan't get to the fairs and or to
the auctions, and they justlove it.
You know, we're now as I said,we're now we've got four teddy
(29:32):
bear sales a year.
We've actually got five thisyear, so we've still got.
We've actually got a novembersale of teddy bears and the
december sale teddy bears, um.
So there's lots ofopportunities.
So just watching is just suchfun and you learn so much as
well.
See how how much things areselling for and there's always
bargains.
I mean it might not be in theTeddy Bears or Whitney sale, but
generally there's always thingsthat go quite cheaply and
(29:54):
people go.
Why didn't I bid on that?
You know?
So you know, maybe it is worthsigning up just in case
something sells for £10 or £20.
And you know, we ship in-housefrom here as well.
So we and you know, in, we shipin-house from here as well, so
we send all over the world umshipments in-house.
We've got a very good packingteam so they take great care of
your teddy bears and dolls.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
So, yeah, it's been a great place to come well, this
is going to be an event to lookforward to and I can't wait.
There's going to be so manyways we can share in the joy of
this auction, whether we see itonline, and we're going to, of
course, put lots of links on ourvarious pages, and plenty of
(30:35):
links so that they can find yourFacebook and Instagram.
Daniel Agnew, thank you so muchfor joining us and sharing the
tales of these wonderful bears.
I'm sure we wish them well ontheir new adventures, giving
these teddy bears new tales totell.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Thank you very much.
It's been lovely talking to you.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you, daniel.
Thank you for joining us on theDoll Podcast and our new
feature, collectibleConversations.
If you'd like to find out moreabout Daniel Agnew and this
fantastic auction, please go toour website, wwwdollpodcastcom.
(31:21):
You can find the Doll Podcaston Instagram and Facebook.
You can find Daniel Agnew onFacebook and on Instagram as
TeddymanDan.
The Doll Podcast is created byNiche Media Productions.
Our music is by KeltyConspiracy.
(31:42):
Copyright Lisa Maxwell 2024,.
All rights reserved.
We look forward to welcomingyou the next time.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Doll Podcast.
I'm your host, louisa Maxwell.
This is a Doll Podcast with adifference.
It's part of our new featureentitled Collectible
Conversations, where we talkabout great collections, and
today we're talking teddy bearswith British teddy expert Daniel
(00:29):
Agnew, because, after all, ifyou love dolls, you probably
love bears too.
So I hope you enjoy this newfeature.
Collecting antique and vintageteddy bears is a hobby rich in
history and emotion.
Each bear is an intimateportrait of itself and its owner
(00:51):
too.
Teddies are a comfort to uswhen we're young, becoming
cherished confidants andcompanions.
Often, that bond is neverbroken and some teddies remain
with us for all our lives.
And some teddies remain with usfor all our lives.
Over time, teddy bears haveevolved from simple toys for
children to cherish friends thathold a special place in the
(01:12):
hearts of both children andadults.
Antique and vintage bears aresought-after collectibles, and
many rare bears have hit theheadlines with price tags in the
hundreds of thousands.
These bears have gone on tobecome celebrities in their own
right.
So what makes these bears sovaluable?
Well, to help us answer thatquestion, my guest is Daniel
(01:36):
Agnew, one of the world'sleading antique teddy bear
specialists, having worked withChristie's South Kensington, the
London Toy Auction, and nowwith SAS Special Auction
Services in the United Kingdom.
Daniel Agnew, welcome to ourspecial teddy bear podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
It's exciting, it's really exciting and we're
recording live from SAS and Isee that behind you you have
lots of teddy bears all waitingto go under the hammer at some
date.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
So all those boxes are full up as well.
So that's all a big, hugecollection of teddy bears that
come from the Isle of man.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Oh, my goodness.
I mean there's something likewell, there's over 12 huge
moving boxes of wonderful bears,so we may hear some noises of
people moving things around inthe auction room.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yes, but I think that I'm in.
I'm in that warehouse, so youknow, I can't actually hear
anything because I've got myheadphones on, but presumably
there might be something goingon behind me, but, um, hopefully
not to be honest, it makes itmore fun and exciting, because
this is really where I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
We see the auctions as teddy bear lovers from front
of house.
But you are not only front ofhouse bringing us the bears, but
you're also the backstageexpert who has to go through all
these provenances, all thesevarious bears, and it's an
extraordinary process, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
it is, yes, and it's great fun though, but, um, yeah,
we, it's not not so glamorousin our warehouse, um and but we
have a lot of stock coming inand out all the time, and you
know I've been.
You know our sales have justexploded over the last few years
and I used to have two auctionsa year.
I've gone up to four auctions ayear and now I'm this year I'm
(03:28):
having seven, so it's it'sreally a bit full on at the
moment, but, uh, enjoying it.
But, um, a lot of people wantto come here to sell, so that's
exciting so do you think?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
teddy bear auctions worldwide is it becoming more of
a phenomenon?
Are more people entering thehobby?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I don't know if it's more people entering.
I mean, there's a steady flowof new people, but not en masse.
I think the big en masse was inthe 90s, but now, sadly, we've
got to that stage in the worldof dolls and teddy bears where a
lot of our collectors aregetting older and they're now
choosing to sell theircollections.
So that's more why I'm busy,rather than there being loads
(04:08):
more buyers, but they're still abit.
You know particularly teddybears.
They're still a very strongsubject for the right thing.
You know, the good bears areselling extremely well.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Well, december 3rd 2024 is going to be a
save-the-date event for vintagebear lovers around the world, as
some of the most sought-afterand precious bears go under the
hammer in England.
Daniel, you've sold some of themost expensive bears in the
world, including the PaulGreenwood collection of bears,
(04:38):
which sold for £1 million, andnow you're about to auction
another collection of preciousbears.
What makes a teddy bear sovaluable?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, not all teddy bears are valuable.
I mean, I think I always sayit's a very affordable subject.
You know, you can buy a reallyquite an old teddy bear for as
little as 10 or 20 pounds.
But you can also spend manythousands of pounds on them.
But they're generally the verybest ones and they don't come
along very often.
So it's either it's like veryrare and made by a very good
(05:13):
maker and in very good condition, or it's got some really
interesting provenance thatexcites people.
So it's that individually, orit's a combination of the two,
that can make them worth tens ofthousands of pounds.
Now it's very unusual to beworth a bear to be worth beyond
ten thousand.
Mostly expensive bears that Isell are probably between a
(05:36):
thousand and eight, ten thousand, something like that in pounds.
But every now and thensomething very special comes
along and then it does make 10,20, 30.
I mean, the most expensive pairI've ever sold was a, a black
steif, for 91 and a halfthousand pounds.
Um, and at christie's we we hadthe world record for a while,
(05:58):
which was teddy girl, whobelonged to colonel bob
henderson, which was,000.
The world record is more thanthat.
Now I can't remember the exactamount, but it's well over
£100,000.
But you know we've gotpotential here.
We've got world record breakersin this collection, so
(06:18):
hopefully, you know we might getsome good results.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Vintage bear collectors are known as
arctophiles, derived from theGreek arctus bear and philos
love.
Collections of bears are aptlydescribed as a hug.
Isn't that wonderful.
Ian Pout of Teddy Bears ofWhitney is a noted arctophile.
His shop in England, whichhouses a distinguished
(06:42):
collection of antique bears, isa place of pilgrimage for many a
collector, including myself.
Ian Pout has decided to partwith many of his most famous
bears in this auction, daniel,it must be a difficult decision
for him to make.
How did Ian decide what bearsto part with?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, you know, if anyone's been to ian's shop in
whitney in oxfordshire, it's,it's such a beautiful, fabulous
and.
But the museum is fairly, fairlysmall.
It's like a small room in theback of the shop and a few other
cabinets, but it's just themost perfect selection of teddy
bears and related items.
So the shop is still there andit's still going to be there and
(07:24):
it's still full of wonderfulteddy bears to buy.
But this is his museum and he'she's almost 80 now and he's
having a little step back fromit all and it's quite a
responsibility to have all thesewonderful bears.
So he's just decided it is timenow to find them new homes.
I mean, he's already sold someof his bears.
(07:45):
I know that his black stife,ophelo, went quite a few years
ago and he's also sold hisamazing red stife, which was
Alfonso, and that's gone to amuseum, which is great.
I've always wanted to have soldthat bear.
That's one of the bears thatwas on my sort of tick list of
I'd love to sell one day.
But we've got no shortage ofamazing bears and you know, on
(08:08):
my I guess perhaps top of mytick list is one of the bears
that is coming up for auction.
But he's basically decided tosell everything that's in the
museum apart from his own bearthat he had as a child.
He's hanging onto that.
But everything else that yousee when you go to Whitney is up
for auction and it's all justto get the best price on the day
(08:29):
.
You know we're going toestimate things, but he just
wants it sold.
And what's so nice about thissubject?
He just wants them to go on totheir next stage of their life.
They go to their nextcollectors.
Maybe some will go to museums,go to collections all over the
world, and those bears will bearound forever more and continue
their journey.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's an amazing shop and museum.
I mean you go thinking, oh,I'll be there for an hour and
three hours later you're stillthere.
There's just so much to see, somuch to look at and such a warm
and charming group of peoplewho run the shop and the museum.
It's an incredible place tovisit.
Nobody should miss it.
(09:11):
Ian Pout such an amazingcollector and collection.
We've been so lucky to be ableto explore the collection of
rare bears while he had them athis shop, and the shop is still
open and there are manywonderful bears still waiting
there to delight.
So Ian has decided that thecollection must make its way to
(09:32):
new homes and the bears have nowtravelled from their home at
Teddy Bears of Whitney in theCotswolds near Oxford to your
warehouse at Special AuctionServices in Newbury, berkshire,
daniel.
This is going to be a rareopportunity for people to meet
these beautiful bears.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Three or four weeks before the auction.
We'll pick them up, bring themhere and they'll be on view here
for a good week and sale weekas well.
So you know you'll get to seethem and most of them you'll
probably be able to handle aswell.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
So you know you'll get to see them and most of them
you'll probably be able tohandle as well.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
I think we'll probably restrict handling on a
few of them, you know, becausepeople want to see these things.
If they're going to spend lotsof money, you need to hand them.
So I always say coming to anauction is so good, it's like
going to a museum where you canactually handle things, and it's
a really good way to learnabout teddy bears by handling
them.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
It's an incredible experience and even if you can't
afford you know Happy or one ofthe other amazing bears that
are going to be in this auctionthere'll probably be something
you'll find.
And meanwhile you've had thisexperience where you've learned
so much.
It's just incredible.
Had this experience whereyou've learned so much, it's
(10:48):
just incredible.
So I mentioned Happy, and she'sa beautiful jewel, plush
Stiefmoor hair bearer who'sgoing to be, I think, one of the
stars of this auction.
She's got those big brown eyesand she dates from the mid-1920s
and she came to worldwideattention in 1989 when London
auction house Sotheby's soldHappy for £55,000.
(11:09):
She was the first teddy bear toappear in the Guinness Book of
World Records as the mostexpensive bear in the world
Vintage bear enthusiasts.
On the day of that auction,they were astonished to find
that the guide price was £700 to£900, and she went for such a
huge price tag.
What made Happy so special?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, I've known about Happy, you know, for since
1989, which is the same year Istarted at Christie's actually
and you know I'd never actuallyseen her in the, I think.
Actually she was at one teddybear fair in Germany years ago
and I saw her from a longdistance away because Rosemary
was holding her.
But this is the first time I'veactually, when I went to visit
(11:53):
Ian was the first time Iactually got to hold her and she
has huge presence.
She literally took my breathaway.
She is so beautiful, she's insuch a lovely condition and she
is so beautiful, she's in such alovely condition and she is
just so rare.
I mean, I have sold a similarbear before in very poor
condition, but this is justexceptional and she was made in
(12:15):
very small numbers, with thesebig eyes, and we don't really
know why she was made.
And at the time, you know, theworld record price in 1989 was
Alfonso, which was 12,000.
So to make for something tosuddenly go for 55,000 was a
huge leap and it sort of shockeda lot of people.
I recently spoke to BunnyCampioni, who was the specialist
(12:38):
and auctioneer at the time, andshe's the lady who appeared in
all the newspapers at the timeholding the spare.
And, yes, she, she put seven tonine hundred pounds on it.
But when it actually got intothe auction, the interest, she
raised the estimate a bit, butshe didn't take it up too high.
But yes, I think the the answerwas.
I asked her why she thought ithad sold so much and, um, there
(13:00):
was just two people who werequite determined to have it and
they both left with individualpeople, their agent, a buying
bid, just buy it.
But no one thought that for asecond, two people would be
doing that and that would begoing, you know, getting so high
.
So, yes, it was amazing and itstood as a world record for such
(13:21):
a long time well, you know,fairly long time but slowly the
market caught up with it.
So I mean, a few years later,we, you know christie's we sold
a blue steif for 49 and a halfthousand and then a few more
years later we had teddy gale.
So then that record was finallybeaten.
But, yeah, no, it is, she isexceptional and she has gone on
(13:43):
to.
You know, I think after theywere a bit, I think paul and
rose revolt were a bit shockedwhen they got the, the bill for
it, but they were delighted withit and they decided because it
became such a famous bear thatthey would use it for good.
So they then started travelingaround the world and raising
money for charity with the bear.
So you know, it's gone on to doamazing things and, uh, ian
(14:06):
bought him a few years ago.
Um, and with the rest of thevaults collection it's all in
the, the museum and you knowthey're going on to a new home
and who knows?
I mean I've estimated to her atjust 20 to 30 000, but who
knows who's gonna might want tospend more on it these days.
Hopefully there'll be someoneout, someone out there and we
(14:28):
might get a nice result.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
She's priceless in many ways, she's a beautiful
bear.
I think so.
Yes, she definitely is.
So she is not the only star inthis auction, because bears not
only make the news for theirrarity, but some bears have been
known to steal the show intelevision dramas.
A bear called Aloysius starredwith Jeremy Irons and Anthony
(14:52):
Andrews in the ITV 1980s dramaBrideshead Revisited.
Aloysius is another bear in IanPout's collection and he's
expected to achieve a price tagof between $20,000 and $ 30,000
at auction in December.
Besides his star quality andthe marvellous acting ability he
(15:12):
had in Brideshead Revisited,what makes him so valuable?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Well, strangely, you know, as a bear he's not a very
valuable bear.
I mean, he's a 1910 Americanteddy bear.
When he starred in BridesheadRevisited he was in really quite
nice condition.
But he was owned by a characteractor called Peter Ball who
starred in films and stages andso forth and he was one of the
(15:39):
first teddy bear collectors inthe world.
And I think when they decidedobviously they wanted to cast a
teddy bear as the role ofAloysius, I think they must have
known Peter was a collector, sothey turned to him to supply a
bear and he did and this bearsort of really did steal the
show, um, and was actually.
(16:00):
I mean it was a huge successthis sort of period drama.
But you know, I think it reallywas important in the world of
teddy bears.
So you know there wasn't thatmany collectors of old teddy
bears before 1981.
There were some, but not many.
But just seeing this reallywonderful, beautiful, antique
(16:20):
teddy bear in this period dramareally inspired a lot of people
to start collecting teddy bearsand I know many of people who
have said that was where theirinterests started from.
So he has that to begin with.
After he was in the drama hethen went on the road with Peter
Ball and used to go on chatshows, used to go all over the
(16:43):
place and he has since.
You know he was needed patchingconstantly because he's a 115
year old teddy bear so normallyit's best you just sit them in
the cabinet, not play with themor hand them too much.
But he was well and trulyhandled so he sort of had to
have running repairs as he wentand I think he's just this sort
(17:04):
of myth has built up around him.
He's such a key figure in thebear world but I think it's
that's what's going to reallyattract the attention as just a
teddy bear in his condition.
Perhaps he's only worth a fewhundred pounds now, as you know.
But for his provenance and hishistory and you know just the
(17:25):
fact that you own the originalaloysius and you know just the
fact that you own the originalAloysius is such a big thing
that hopefully you know we'veestimated 20 to 30,000 and
hopefully he'll make a goodprice.
I think so he's, you know he'sso important.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
He's a huge symbol in the teddy bear collecting world
.
And Peter Bull, I mean he wason the Late Late Show in the
United States.
Peter Bull, I mean, he was onthe Late Late Show in the United
States.
He was on every major talk showinternationally with his bears
and he wrote books.
And so I think Aloysius has anamazing Hollywood pedigree
really, not just as a bear butalso as an actor.
He's been, he's really treadthe boards all over the world.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, no, definitely.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
What is it like then?
You're going to work with theseamazing bears like aloe,
vicious and happy.
They're going to come into youat sas special auction services.
What happens to the bears whenthey arrive?
Do they have vip green roomtreatment?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
well, um, I think, because they're coming into us
quite late, which is unusual.
Normally we have the items inlong before we publicize them or
do anything with them, catalogthem.
But we're going to catalog themin situ.
We're actually going there onmonday to um, catalog them and
photograph them all properly.
Um, but they will.
(18:46):
I think they'll come to,they'll be packed up nicely and
then they'll probably beunpacked and actually there's a
very good chance that they'll beunpacked and going straight
onto a view.
We've got a specific area forthem which is all cabinets and
they'll probably go on viewstraight away.
And, yes, there will be a bitof red carpet treatment for them
and I think certainly they'lllook beautiful in view and
(19:10):
that's when people can come inand we'll probably do a bit more
press.
Invite the press along as apreview.
We're definitely going to havea teddy bears picnic on the
sunday beforehand, so that'll befun, you know it's.
We're on view the sales on the3rd of december and we'll view
on the saturday and sunday aswell, which just gives it a bit
more chance for more people tocome and see them and say hello
(19:32):
or farewell to them.
So, yeah, they'll definitelyget the special treatment until
the sale and you know we'll youknow, just wait with
anticipation to see whatactually happens.
It's a traditional room auctionso people can come to it, but
also it's going to be online, soit goes on to free auction
platforms and will be shown topeople all around the world and
(19:53):
so anyone can bid on the pieces.
Definitely, but we also you hadmentioned it earlier I
definitely wanted to make anauction where everyone can go
away with something in a way.
So it's going to be about.
I think it's going to bebetween 250 300 lots.
But ian's got a lot of littlebits and pieces of ephemera uh,
small, lesser value bears andpostcards and all sorts of
(20:16):
things, because he's a verytalented artist ian is and
creative, so his catalogs arebeautiful.
So there's lots of bits andpieces that we're going to add
into the auction so that lots ofpeople can come away with a
souvenir of of such an amazingplace and an amazing collector
well, it's funny you said thatabout.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
you know you may not be able to come away with the
high ticket item, but you maycome away and I've had a
companion with me since I thinkit was the last teddy bear
auction at Christie's was GilesBranderit's collection, if I'm
correct, that's right, yes, andwhat did I come away with but an
Aloysius.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
I was there as a journalist and I saw this bear
and I'd seen BridesheadRevisited and £100, he was mine
and he's still with me.
He's been to Vienna, london,scotland, ireland.
This guy really travels theworld and I have no plans to
part with him.
He's a dear part of mycollection, so you know you can
(21:22):
be there you can't afford thebig ticket item, but you can
find something that will juststeal a little bit of your heart
, and that's what teddy bearsfor me anyway are all about yes,
no, exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I mean that was the 2007, I think that was yeah.
And giles, giles brandiff hadthis museum in
stratford-upon-avon and he had a.
He had a really quite a goodcross-section of things and the
I mean aloysius has beenreplicated a few times now.
He was replicated by peter ballin the first place.
That's what I've got, yeah andI think that's the one you've
(21:55):
got um, the one that was yeahand then um, since ian's had him
as well, he's done yes, they'relovely of him, so you can I
think you can still buy areplica of our aloysius if you
wanted to.
I think they're still live onhis website.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
It's a terrific story and it's lovely to add a bit of
history to your collection thathas, even if it's a
reproduction bear or you know.
It's all about creativity andthe love of bears.
So if somebody goes to thisfantastic auction and they fall
in love with a vintage orantique teddy bear and they
(22:30):
don't know a lot about vintageor antique teddy bears, what
should they be looking out inany auction or any place they're
buying a bear?
Speaker 2 (22:50):
you collect in a way, but the first thing to do is
always buy the best you possiblycan afford.
You know, and always you know Ithink that always proves right
in the long run that you knowthe better pieces that you buy
will always, you know, holdtheir own.
But you've also got to go withsomething that you love and you
know you've got to fall in lovewith that bear in the first
place.
And I mean I think there'salways the other thing to say.
I mean it's a bit differentwith this sale because it's got
(23:10):
so many unique individualcharacters in that.
I'm sure people will pay overthe odds in some cases, you know
, because they'll feel that theyjust have to have it.
But generally at auction thesedays, you do know that there's
another one coming along at somestage.
You know.
So perhaps not get I shouldn'treally say this, being an
auctioneer but perhaps don't getas carried away as as you used
(23:32):
to, literally in the.
When we were selling them atChristie's in the 90s there was
no online auctions and eBay typethings and very few places you
could go to buy an antique teddybear.
So you know it was a hotsubject then, so people were
just buying them, no matter whatreally, and uh, and paying, you
know, very strong prices.
Fortunately, a lot of thoseprices have now caught up with
(23:53):
themselves.
But, yes, just buy what youlike.
Um, condition I think conditionis quite important, but then
some people really love a bearthat looks old and battered like
his age.
So it's just it's knowing whatyou want out of things.
But I think when you're firstcoming to collecting, I think
you need to go, you learn aboutthe subject first, so you know,
(24:14):
go to auctions, get thereference books, really study it
and know where your interestslie.
And that's again that's whyauctions are quite good, because
you can actually go and look atall these things and learn what
mohair is and and and whatreally good quality felt is like
and how to tell whether a bearis in good condition.
(24:36):
It's not just about looking atthem, it's whether the material
was strong and ask people.
You know I'm here to helppeople, so you know I'm always
happy to answer questions andwalk people through the views
and that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
When it comes to those damaged bears, I'm just
terrible.
They're the ones I alwaysreally go for.
So what do you think about whenpeople restore a bear or repair
a bear?
Do you think it's a good idea,or should we just leave them
looking a little bit sad?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
good idea, or should we just leave them looking a
little bit sad?
Well, there's certain thingsyou kind of have to do because
you can't leave dirt on theteddy bear, because that rots
the, the mohair and you know anysort of holes, a perfect place
for a moth to get into.
So really you should dosomething.
But I think you have to be socareful.
It's a, it's not anyone.
Can you just come along andbecome a teddy bear restore just
(25:30):
because you can sew?
You know you've got to keepthat character.
And some people I see it timeand time again where they get an
100 year old teddy bear andthey treat it as if it's a new
teddy bear and they want it asclean as possible, they want it
as stuffed as possible and putnew pads on it and new eyes, and
it just loses its life.
(25:51):
Really, you've got to justyou've just got to take each
bear on its merit and just.
I mean my favorite repairs arewhat I call mum repairs.
When you know, when I get abear in from someone's attic,
often mum has just done somevery crude stitching on its foot
or covered it's a hole with aflowery material and I think
(26:14):
that's really lovely.
But you, just you do have to.
I do think you have to do acertain amount.
But then, saying that, there'salso, you know, you can get a
very old, perfect condition orvery near perfect condition bear
that just needs a light cleanand a hole in its pad, which
these days they can do aninvisible repair on.
That is a good way of doing itas well, because you end up with
(26:37):
a really, you know, magnificent, completely undamaged bear.
But it's just, it's again, it'sa personal choice and it
depends on how bad he is in thefirst place.
If they're really bad, I thinkyou have to go it that as being
their character and leave it asalone as possible.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
They're aging gracefully, yes, so how can we
find out more about this auctionin December?
Anyone can bid from any placein the world on your website.
Website on the SAS website oron.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, we have our own platform, which is on SAS
specialauctionservicescom, whichyou don't pay any extra for.
But we also host it onsellroomcom and live auctioneers
and you have to pay an extrafive percent for being on those.
So we always try and get peopleonto our platform because it's
cheaper, but that's always.
You know, some people are morecomfortable bidding on a
(27:30):
separate platform and so, yes, Imean already on our website
we've got some previews aboutthe bears.
You can sign up anytime andactually I always say to people
go to our website, sign up forany auction that's coming up and
just have a look at it and youknow you might be attracted and
put in a cheeky bid somewhere.
(27:50):
But just so you're comfortablewith bidding and how it all
works, make sure your passwordand all that sort of thing is
ready, so you don't want to bedoing that on the day and then
go.
I can't do it and uh, and itall goes wrong.
So I've got quite a big presenceon Facebook and Instagram, so
from now on I'm going to bereally plugging this auction so
there'll be a lot more featurescoming up on that so you can
(28:13):
follow me on Facebook.
I think I'm the only.
I mean it's quite easy to findDaniel Agnew surrounded by teddy
bears on Facebook, so youshould be able to find me.
There's lots of ways and, as Isaid, it's going to be a fun
auction.
So it's one of those saleswhich I say is like the sale to
come to if you can.
You know definitely it's got somany lovely things in it
(28:34):
there's going to be a real buzzabout it I'd love to come, but I
know the temptation would beterrible.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It's going to be the most fantastic auction and we're
going to be sharing lots ofdetails and some pictures on our
website.
So thank you so much forsharing so many wonderful
stories about this auction andso many details about these very
, very special bears and we lookforward to.
(29:05):
I imagine we can just tune inand follow along with the
auction.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Yes, if you don't want to spend any money, don't
actually sign up to bid, you canjust.
There's a watch button so youcan just watch it go and that's
great fun as well.
You know, just, I've got lotsof people who perhaps don't get
out as much as they used to andcan't get to the fairs and or to
the auctions, and they justlove it.
You know, we're now as I said,we're now we've got four teddy
(29:32):
bear sales a year.
We've actually got five thisyear, so we've still got.
We've actually got a novembersale of teddy bears and the
december sale teddy bears, um.
So there's lots ofopportunities.
So just watching is just suchfun and you learn so much as
well.
See how how much things areselling for and there's always
bargains.
I mean it might not be in theTeddy Bears or Whitney sale, but
generally there's always thingsthat go quite cheaply and
(29:54):
people go.
Why didn't I bid on that?
You know?
So you know, maybe it is worthsigning up just in case
something sells for £10 or £20.
And you know, we ship in-housefrom here as well.
So we and you know, in, we shipin-house from here as well, so
we send all over the world umshipments in-house.
We've got a very good packingteam so they take great care of
your teddy bears and dolls.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
So, yeah, it's been a great place to come well, this
is going to be an event to lookforward to and I can't wait.
There's going to be so manyways we can share in the joy of
this auction, whether we see itonline, and we're going to, of
course, put lots of links on ourvarious pages, and plenty of
(30:35):
links so that they can find yourFacebook and Instagram.
Daniel Agnew, thank you so muchfor joining us and sharing the
tales of these wonderful bears.
I'm sure we wish them well ontheir new adventures, giving
these teddy bears new tales totell.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Thank you very much.
It's been lovely talking to you.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you, daniel.
Thank you for joining us on theDoll Podcast and our new
feature, collectibleConversations.
If you'd like to find out moreabout Daniel Agnew and this
fantastic auction, please go toour website, wwwdollpodcastcom.
(31:21):
You can find the Doll Podcaston Instagram and Facebook.
You can find Daniel Agnew onFacebook and on Instagram as
TeddymanDan.
The Doll Podcast is created byNiche Media Productions.
Our music is by KeltyConspiracy.
(31:42):
Copyright Lisa Maxwell 2024,.
All rights reserved.
We look forward to welcomingyou the next time.
Thank you.
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