Steiff Bears: Beware Of Counterfeit Collectibles
Posted By admin on September 1, 2011
There is nothing more precious than a Steiff bear. These popular bears from Germany, are highly collectible and can demand a pretty penny when being sold. The Steiff Company began manufacturing this bear in 1892, so if you have one today, it is quite valuable.
There are some things that one must keep in mind with dealing with Steiff. They are many knockoffs of this type of bear. By following these tips you will be able to make sure you are dealing with an authentic:
1. In 1904 Steiff began putting metal buttons in the left ear. While the material of the button is not important, be it brass, copper, metal the lettering is. The earliest bears have raised lettering.
2. Really old bears were made of mohair. The newer bears after 1947 were made with synthetic fibers.
3. The eyes can tell you a lot about a Steiff. Early eyes were button style. Then in the 1910 they started
inserting glass eyes and finally in 1960 they switched to plastic.
4. Look for an authentic tag sewn into the bear. This tag should say Made in Germany and Steiff and have a serial number.
5. The early bears were stuffed with wool and the later bears were stuffed with a soft synthetic.
Trust your gut when purchasing one of these bears. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. By doing a simple once over on the bear and verifying a few things you could have quite a find on your hands.The information party rocks on: Saturday Scavenger Shots: Bear
Comments