Teddy bear proves its worth at auction

A Steiff circus bear, given to the family of a local woman, sold for about six times its estimated value

A TEDDY bear present - given to the family of a local woman when she was born - sold for around six times the estimated value at a Newbury auction last Saturday (Jan 22).

The dark golden plush Steiff circus bear (standing, with jointed arms) was up for sale with a reserve price of between £200 and £300 at Special Auction Services' (SAS) first auction of the year, at New Greenham Park.

However the 71-year-old owner, who did not want to be named, said she was “Over the moon,” when the bear sold for £1,700 on the day:

“Experts had an idea that the bear would do well, and kept the valuation conservative due to the condition, however, as the bear was in a specialist toy auction, we knew it would always do well,” said SAS spokeswoman, Sheena Brand.