From vintage advertising campaigns to famed auctions and devoted collectors, we examine the role Steiff plays in the collectible world.

Imagine coming to work every day and seeing some of the rarest antique teddy bears in the world. In this issue, Teddy Bear & Friends readers will receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Christie’s auctions. I had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel Agnew, an American collector who is best known for running Christie’s famous teddy bear auctions. He not only gives us unprecedented access to the auction house’s wares but also shares his passion for teddy bears and his dream job.

How did you become a teddy bear collector?

My mum is a well-known antique dealer, and as a young child I used to go around to antique fairs and auctions with her. I was naturally drawn towards toys and started my collection with little lead farm animals. I added all sorts of toys and even had a tiny museum in the corner of my bedroom. About 20 years ago, I bought my first teddy bear and studied “The Teddy Bear Catalog,” written by Peggy and Alan Bialosky (published in 1980). At the time, the most expensive Steiff documented was $850! My collection began to grow, as did the prices of bears. I learned a lot from the late Pam Hebbs, a serious collector whom I regularly met at Covent Garden or Bermondsey Market, where mum had a stall. I am now as much a soft toy collector as teddy bear collector with over 500 pieces in my collection. For the last couple of years, a large percentage of my collection has been on permanent loan to the Brighton Toy and Model Museum (brightontoymuseum.co.uk).

Tell us about your job with Christie’s auction house.

My mum didn’t want me to be an antiques dealer, so I got a job as a saleroom assistant at Christie’s in 1991. A few years later, a woman from the toy department went on maternity leave and never returned. I helped set up Christie’s first teddy bear auction in 1993.

Christie’s actually started selling antique teddy bears in the 1970s. They had a small auction of bears and soft toys in 1984, but the first formal auction was in 1993. From that year, they had one large teddy bear sale in December, and bears were still included in the other doll sales about four times a year. From 1999 to 2007, they held one teddy bear auction in December and a second in May or June. The last auction was in September 2007, the sale of the Teddy Bear Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon. I was with Christie’s until 2007, and then I returned for a one-time special sale in October 2010.

Was the 2010 auction for British hedge fund manager Paul Greenwood, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges last July?

Yes. It was the biggest collection that has ever come up for auction and certainly the most minted in condition. It was over 1,300 pieces (641 lots) and sold for over $1.75 million.

Mr. Greenwood’s collection of Steiff animals is thought to be among the world’s most extensive and spanned the German company’s 107-year history. It is understood he amassed his collection from auctions and dealers over a 15-year period. Much of it came from Steiff workers, and they were samples that were never mass produced (thus increasing the value). The most expensive teddy bear in the amazing collection was a one-of-a-kind red and blue mohair Harlequin bear which was made as a sample, and it is the only one in the world. The oldest toy in the collection was an elephant pin cushion made by seamstress Margarete Steiff.

How do you prepare for a teddy bear auction?

A large percentage of time is involved meeting clients, gathering items, cleaning and preparing them for auction, and valuing items. As items arrive and about two to three months before the auction, I start to catalog and research the items. The items have to be photographed and then a catalog has to be designed, proofed and then goes to press about one and a half months before the auction. It is printed by the U.K. paper Antique Trade Gazette. We send out mailings and advertising and then promote the sale through websites, blogs, Facebook and other media forms. The final steps are setting up the auction, attending the preview and then running the auction. Bidders—including serious collectors and museum owners—fly into London from all over the world for teddy bear auctions like the ones at Christie’s.

What did you love most about your work with Christie’s auctions?

I have lots of highlights of my time at Christie’s. I think one of my favorite items was a teddy bear which belonged to Clifford Berryman, the political cartoonist who could be said to have started the whole teddy bear phenomenon.

What message would you like to leave with collectors or those new to collecting?

I love to encourage other collectors, and I think it is always nice to share things. It’s important to get across to people how accessible collecting antique and vintage bears is … it’s nothing to be afraid of. Antique teddy bears are still a fairly new market and new collectors are needed, but generally the market is strong. Some items have leveled out and some have gone down. But this is typical with a new market, which bears still are.

What is next for you, Daniel?

I am currently self-employed, advising clients, and buying and selling through my website and at shows. I curate a large collection of toys, the SOFIA collection, which is based in Cyprus and Athens, Greece. I also organize an auction once a year in association with Convery Auctions Ltd, a friend and former colleague from Christie’s. Our next auction [is] on the May 29th, 2011, held at Lord’s Cricket Grounds in London. It’s a traditional auction with live bidding on the Internet. It will offer all makes and ages of teddy bears and soft toys, and will also include dolls and traditional toys. Among the featured items: a rare red Steiff teddy bear. I am also in the process of writing an encyclopedia-type book on the history of British teddy bears. It has required a lot of research, but I have found some great new information. I will continue my mission of promoting the world of antique teddy bear and toy hobby for all.

For more information, contact Daniel Agnew through his website, or search for him on Facebook.

A Steiff Timeline

1989

Alfonso was a red 1908 Steiff that sold for £12,100 (more than $19,500). It was originally owned by Princess Xenia Georgievna, a member of the Russian royal family. That same year Happy, a 1926 Steiff, fetched £55,000 (more than $88,700). Happy (Anniversary) was sold to Paul Volp, an American collector who bought it as a 42nd wedding anniversary present for his wife, Rosemary.

The growth in the bear market is well documented, and Christie’s began a long tradition of selling record-breaking teddy bears. The first was King Arthur, a 1905 Steiff that was sold for £3,740 (more than $6,000) in 1985. During his years at Christie’s, Daniel Agnew saw some incredible record-breaking teddy bears.

1993

Elliot, a rare blue Steiff teddy bear, sold for £49,500 (nearly $80,000).

1994

Teddy Girl, a 1904 cinnamon Steiff, was sold at auction for a staggering £110,000 (nearly $158,000) to Yoshihiro Sekiguchi, who bought it for the Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Japan. This remains a world record for price paid for a teddy bear.

1996

Teddy Edward sold to Mr. Sekiguchi for £34,500 (more than $55,600).

2000

An exceptionally fine and rare Steiff black teddy bear sold for £91,750 (more than $148,000).

2010

A rare Steiff Harlequin teddy bear from 1925 sold for £46,850 pounds (more than $75,000).

Originally published in the Summer 2011 issue.