by Teddy Gifts

Teddy bear collecting is incredibly popular all over the world, with thousands of people amassing collections large and small. Most people of course only collect ordinary teddies which are available for reasonable prices, both new and second hand, but for some very serious collectors, money can be no object. So what are the highest prices people have paid, and what is the most expensive bear of all? Steiff 125th Anniversary Bear This bear certainly deserves the title of 'Most Expensive Bear' in the bought-new bears category. Released to celebrate the 125th anniversary of famous German bear maker Steiff, the 125 Karat Teddy bear edition had an asking price of an incredible £43,000. While part of this huge price can be put down to it's rarity - only 125 were made - this bear was made out of some very expensive materials. The bear is 50cm tall with fur made out of gold silk mohair, with sapphire eyes set in 18 carat yellow gold, surrounded by 40 diamonds. His nose is pure gold, with the traditional Steiff 'button ear' also in gold. He came with a 14cm high elephant companion, simlilarly adorned with diamonds and both white and yellow gold. Both the rarity and sheer opulence of this bear means that the value can only rise, although we have no details of auction valuations as yet. Costliest Auction Bear The most expensive bear sold second-hand at auction was also made by Germany's Steiff. A Steiff Teddy Girl model was listed in Christie's auction catalogue for a mere (!) $10,000 to $15,000, and was finally sold a few years back for $171,600 (approx £100,000). Although Steiff bears are high quality and always on the pricey side, the main reason for this inflated price was that the bear was owned by a leader of the UK branch of 'Good Bears of the World', an international charity which provides teddies to children of all ages where 'love solace and comfort can make a difference' - eg for children hit by natural disasters or victims of child abuse.