Monmouth Discovery: Car Boot Sale Teddy Bear Could Reach £6,000 at Auction
A vintage teddy bear spotted at a car boot sale could potentially fetch a significant sum at auction, all thanks to a mother’s intuition.
Jeanette Davies came across the antique teddy bear at a stall while browsing the car boot sale at Monmouth Show Ground in June, accompanied by her son, Kyle Johns.
She recounted, “I had a strong feeling, a gut hunch. The bear struck me as resembling a Steiff bear, a brand known for its potential value. Sometimes, you take a chance, and I’m glad we did.”
At 60 years old, Jeanette managed to convince her son Kyle to make what would be their most substantial expenditure at a car boot sale – £130 for two teddy bears. As it turned out, her intuition was right on the mark.
The specific toy that caught her attention has been identified as a rare Steiff bear dating back to 1905, confirmed by teddy bear expert Janet Rawnsley from Hansons Auctioneers. The valuation left both Jeanette and Kyle astonished.
Scheduled for auction on August 16, the bear is expected to fetch between £4,000 and £6,000. The second teddy bear, a Chad Valley bear from the pre-World War II era, also holds value with an estimated worth of £80 to £120.
Reflecting on the experience, 29-year-old Kyle shared, “We’ve been frequenting the Monmouth car boot sale every Saturday for years, but we’ve never come across anything as valuable as this. My mom was convinced the bear might be special, although I was initially skeptical. In fact, I hesitated to spend £130; she had to persuade me!”
The teddy bears were being sold by a woman in her 70s who explained that she was clearing out her belongings before relocating to Australia. The bear that Jeanette suspected to be valuable had belonged to her grandfather for a span of 60 years.
