HUGE 26\" Bing Antique Teddy Bear -Vintage Mohair Teddy Bear Rare Big Early 1900s For Sale

HUGE 25\" - 26\" Gebruder Bing Antique Teddy Bear - Vintage Mohair Teddy Bear Rare Big Character Bear Early 1900s 1910s 1920s 20sWow. This huge, delightful antique teddy is the biggest bear I\'ve ever had - a gentle giant who is certain to keep your whole family safe at night. I think his head might be bigger than mine! This handsome and sweet-looking mohair teddy bear is a nicely preserved early example - circa 1910s or 1920s. He has no ID tags remaining, but shows all the signs of being a rare early Bing teddy bear. His age, size, and general charm make him a special and hard-to-find guy. This 26-inch, 2-kilogram giant is made from light blonde mohair plush fur and stuffed mainly with wood wool - I think I can feel kapok around the very top of his limbs, in the joint area. He has a distinctive well-formed muzzle and a slight hump back. His forepaws curve gently (see the photo above where he\'s sitting in profile) and his bottom feet are big, with a good amount of mass. He has four stitched claws on his upper paws, and five claws on his feet. He has joints at the hips, shoulders and head. His big, round glass eyes have a friendly and appealing expression. The backs of the eyes were originally painted brown, and much of the paint still remains, though it has worn away in places. The paw pads are covered with an old woven fabric that could be cotton twill, or a velveteen that has had most of its fuzzy nap worn away.The bear is dressed in an old hand-knit toddler-sized sweater / dress (circa 1920s-30s) knit from a softly shimmery pale peach-pink yarn. Under the sweater is a beautiful old cotton lawn nightgown with delicate embroidery and (less old) bloomer-style pantaloons. (If you don\'t want the clothing for any reason, just let me know and I will remove it before shipping.) If you love big, old teddy bears with Steiff-level quality and charm, this guy might just be your grail bear. He\'s wonderful, rare, and the perfect size for hugging.(In one of these listing photos, you can see a preview photo of two other vintage bears. The one in the red sweater is already available for sale - see my other listings - and the smaller one will also be available once I\'ve found time to list him. I have others for sale as well. If you purchase multiple items, I am happy to combine shipping to save you money.)I\'ve given a detailed condition report below, so please give it a careful read. Please contact me before offerding/buying if you have less than 10 response, or negative response.
{{Dimensions}}ThisGoliath of a bear measures approximately 25 inches tall from the top of his head to the sole of his foot, or about 26 inches if you\'re measuring from the top of his ears. He weighs a whopping 2 kilos.
{{Condition}} This teddy bear is in good to very good condition for its age, commensurate with what my photos show. The joints are all in good condition. The head, arms and legs can be posed easily. The overall construction of the bear feels strong.The paw pads are in decent shape. The fabric is old and worn (especially on the \"feet\") and has thin spots and some small holes (about the size of a sharpened pencil tip) - see detail photos for reference.The eyes, as mentioned above, were originally painted brown on the backs; some of the paint remains, and some of it has flaked away with age. As you can see in some of the pictures, the eyes have an unusual \"set\" - they are firmly attached to the head with a piece of cotton string that runs across the outer bridge of the bear\'s nose, and travels through the inside of the head. The string emerges at the back of the head, where it is firmly knotted. I am not sure whether this is how they attached the eyes at the factory or whether it was redone by the original owner at some point - the string across the top of the snout looks unusual to me, but on the other hand the technique has professional-looking results that seem to contribute to the overall shape of the face in a deliberate way. There are also some stitches with white thread around the base of the ears.The wood stuffing has a faint, pleasant and clean woody smell. The stuffing has settled a little bit, so the bear feels a little squishier / less firmly stuffed than he probably did in the beginning. He still holds his shape very nicely, and there are no leaks.The mohair fur is nice and clean, with a soft texture; it has a slight sheen in the sunlight. There are some places where the fur is thin or gone, as is typical with mohair bears of a certain age, but there\'s still a good amount of fur left in a lot of spots (see my photos).The most significant imperfection this bear has, in my opinion, is the appearance of the woven fabric beneath his fur. As you can see in some of my pictures, the color is uneven and sort of mottled, with greyish splotches. There are also places where the weave of the fabric has thinned, and a few small holes (again, only about the size of a sharpened pencil tip). The fabric still seems to be in sturdy enough condition overall; you can easily handle the bear, pose his arms and legs and carry him around without worrying about doing any harm. I honestly do not know whether the splotching on the woven fabric is a sign of dry rot, or whether it\'s just surface soil. I didn\'t try to clean it, because I was worried about getting the wood stuffing wet.
{{Shipping}}I live in Canada, and will be shipping via Canada Post. I apologize for their high rates! This will be a large, heavy package, so it will be more expensive than most. I will refund any overcharge on shipping over $1 -- I\'m not out to make money on shipping fees. I am happy to combine shipping on multiple items whenever possible.US BUYERS: I will send this item by Canada Post Expedited mail, which includes insurance and tracking, and costs $34. The delivery estimate is 6 business days. Please let me know if you would like to upgrade to a rush service.CANADIAN BUYERS: Expedited parcel post within Canada will be a flat rate of $32. This price includes insurance and tracking. I will often be able to combine shipping on multiple purchases within Canada for only a few dollars more.EUROPE & AUSTRALIA: I have had many wonderful overseas customers - I feel bad that overseas shipping is so costly, especially with larger packages and ones that require tracking/insurance. Keep in mind that you may also be hit with a significant customs/duty fee when the package is delivered. It will cost approximately $227 tothis bear send overseas by XPresspost International, which includes tracking, full insurance against nondelivery, and a guaranteed delivery time (varies by country, but approximately 4 to 6 business days).

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