Percy first became famous when he was taken to Nuffield Hospital to have his metal skeleton X-rayed to verify that he did indeed have the internal joining system of one vertical and two horizontal metal rods.
This early brush with fame, along with the rarity of his kind, inevitably raised a considerable amount of interest in the bear when he was placed on the rostrum.
Along with his metal skeleton, Percy had blond plush fur, black boot-button eyes, buff felt pads with five black thread claws and also the trademark ‘elephant’ button in his ear.
Six telephone bidders, one calling from Istanbul, and a packed audience of both buyers and spectators, watched and listened as the bidding price rose, with the eventual outcome of Percy being sold for no less than £17,000 to a lady from Middle England a
collector who wished to remain anonymous.
Metal-jointed Percy is £17,000 Steiff star
THE Taunton rooms of Greenslade Taylor Hunt (10 per cent buyer’s premium) were graced with the presence of a “minor media celebrity”, on St. Valentine’s day when this rare Steiff rod-jointed teddy bear, right, known as Percy, made an appearance.
