The Steiff dressed white rattle teddy bear c.1912, took £5200 against an estimate of £800- 1200 on November 27 at Newbury saleroom Special Auction Services (17.5% buyer’s premium).
It was believed to be part of a wedding party, made by fellow Steiff workers for their colleagues when they were married.
SAS specialist Daniel Agnew said: “The vendor inherited him from her aunt, who moved to the home town of Steiff, Giengen, about 20 years ago.
“She didn’t really know how the aunt had the items, but it is presumed she had bought them locally, perhaps at the annual Steiff festival, where they have selling stands. Many rare items appear in this area from employees of Steiff or their family – presumably they were able to buy or take home items.”
Agnew added that normally these pieces are a bride and groom standing on a green mohair grass base with a few small animals around them.
“They were not made on a commercial basis,” he said. “But Steiff had a display team who made shop and window displays or pieces for exhibitions, so they could have been made there.”
