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What is the most valuable teddy bear ever sold? (draft)

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Sources: Antique Doll Collector, October 2023 (report on the Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion sale); Guinness World Records for Teddy Girl. A Steiff × Louis Vuitton bear (2000) is often quoted at over 2 million dollars at a charity auction in Monaco, but I could not find a reliable source, so I left it out.

The record for an antique teddy bear is held by Othello, a black mohair Steiff bear from 1912, made in mourning after the Titanic sank. He sold at a special Steiff auction in Giengen, Germany, in July 2023 for a hammer price of 180,000 euros.

After the Titanic disaster in 1912, Steiff made a few hundred all-black mohair bears for the British market, with red felt behind the eyes so that they look as if they were crying. Few have survived, and they rarely come up for sale.

The previous record was held by Teddy Girl, an early Steiff bear sold at Christie's in London in 1994 for 110,000 pounds.

Prices like these are paid for rare antique bears with a well-known history. They say little about what an everyday teddy is worth: the best teddy is still the one you love.

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