A South Derbyshire woman is saying goodbye to the teddy bear collection which she has loved for last 50 years because she is worried about their future.
Jill Barker, 70, first realised her lifelong love for the cuddly toys when her childhood bears had to be burned after she contracted scarlet fever as youngster.
She now houses the 40 bears, which are dated between 1908 and the 1950s, in her South Derbyshire home and has explained that she decided to sell the collection of bears because she does not want them getting undervalued if the future.
Retired school teacher Jill said: "I have celebrated my 70 birthday and have been collecting my bears for nearly 50 years. I want to protect them and my great fear is that, if I do nothing they could be swept up in a house clearance by people who don't understand their value."
Jill was not able to let go of the whole collection and is keeping five, including one which was a gift from her sister, Mary. All of her bears have their own names, from Max and Charlie to Bruzzer and Estragon.
Now, 35 of her cuddly friends are being housed at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, where they will go under the hammer in a specialist toy auction on Tuesday, August 22.
The teddy bear collection has been part of Jill's life for almost 50 years and she has emphasised her love for the toys.
She said: "I’ve loved bears ever since I was young and remember having a tantrum one Christmas when I was very small because I was given a doll instead of a teddy bear. I hurled the doll down the stairs and my parents were furious with me.
"I always loved bears, not dolls. When I was a child, I had scarlet fever and all of my poor teddies had to be burned. I was about eight at the time and was so upset. I used to cuddle them in bed, you see. I think that may be why I have always loved teddy bears so much.!
Each bear comes with their own backstory, such as a Bing bear which she bought from auction house Christies in 2007 and is now being sold with a photo of a German girl from Stuttgart, who owned the bear as a child.
Emmi Bruckmann receive the bear on her first birthday, in December, 1926 from her father and the complete history of the bear is included in the sale.
The Bing bear has been credited as the most valuable in her collection, being worth between £1,500 and £2,000.
Other antique bears in the collection include Merrythoughts, Chiltern and Chad Valley bears, each of who has their own clothes that Jill bought from charity shops.
Hansons Auctioneers
She said: "The clothes help to protect their fur, I buy clothes with a period feel. They are so valuable they had to have their own room. I have no children and want to be sure these bears will be treasured and protected. Ideally, they should be in a museum, they are not toys to be played with, they are historical collector’s items."
The collection of bears will be sold separately at the toy auction held at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall on August 22. To find out more about the auction, call 01283 733988 or email here.
