“He’s old, I can tell by the shape of his nose,” says Horst Lichter knowingly when he sees the teddy bear in the “Bares for Rares” expert room. It belongs to Nadine and Frank Oesterwalbesloh. The couple from Löhne received it as a gift for the birth of their daughter and now want to sell it.
Horst Lichter speculates that the bear could be from the Steiff company. But that excludes Detlev Kümmel – and justifies it with the arm length. It is not easy to determine the exact origin, according to the expert. However, he suspects that the animal came from the Bing company, which manufactured teddy bears from 1908 to 1933. The sellers would be satisfied with just 50 euros. But Kümmel promises significantly more money: he estimates the value at 400 to 600 euros in view of the almost hundred-year-old age. The Oesterwalbeslohs are flabbergasted.
What the expert didn’t mention, Wolfgang Pauritsch catches up on in the dealer’s room: He explains to his colleagues how the teddy bear got its name. This refers to the former US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1901 to 1909). He was a hunter and really wanted to hunt down a bear. To help him, a huntsman tied a small bear to a tree. However, Roosevelt did not have the heart to shoot the animal. An artist eventually turned this story into a caricature, which became very popular. Over time, “Teddy’s Bear” became the teddy bear.
Pauritsch opens the round of bidders with 100 euros. Several dealers want the cuddly animal, and so the price rises to 300 euros. Roman Runkel believes he has already bought it for this price, but Daniel Meyer thwarts his plans and continues to offer: “I absolutely need another teddy bear,” he says. In the end, Runkel was awarded the contract – for 350 euros. Sellers are more than happy with this deal! And the viewers have gotten a little wiser again.
also read
