Rare Teddy Bear Collection Auctioned for Over £290,000

An extensive assortment of rare teddy bears, featuring one prominently seen in the 1980s television drama Brideshead Revisited, achieved a sale price exceeding £290,000 during an auction. Aloysius, a bear manufactured in 1910 and featured in the ITV series, was previously part of the inventory at the Teddy Bears of Witney shop before its auction. Ian Pout, who owns the shop, had previously informed the BBC of his decision to divest a significant portion of his collection due to his advanced age. The collection, initially estimated to achieve approximately £150,000, was sold by Special Auction Services (SAS), located in Newbury. Aloysius served as Lord Sebastian Flyte’s teddy bear in the television period drama Brideshead Revisited, a series based on Evelyn Waugh’s novel of the identical title. This particular item was sold at the auction for £26,000. Mr Pout, a collector of these soft toys for over four decades, stated before the auction: “To say that it will be sad to part with the collection is an understatement.” He mentioned that the only bears Mr Pout retained were one from his childhood and another commemorating his 35th wedding anniversary. He further added: “For better or for worse, the decision is taken and, if we are to part company, I have decided there would be no cherry picking.” Mr Pout concluded: “If any of them bring tears of joy to their new owners I will be happy.” Another notable item from Mr Pout’s collection that was auctioned was Happy, a rare large-eyed brown-tipped Steiff teddy bear dating from 1926, which sold for £45,000. Additionally, a handwritten letter from 1971 by Ernest H Shepard, renowned for illustrating the characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh books, was sold for £14,000. Within the note, he clarified that the inspiration for the Pooh bear character in the books was, in fact, his son’s Steiff bear named Growler. Daniel Agnew, a teddy bear and doll consultant for SAS, reported that the bears were primarily acquired by private collectors globally. He further commented: “It’s the end of an era seeing this collection leave the shop in Witney.” Information regarding following BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram was provided. Copyright for the content is held by BBC, 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC clarified that it does not bear responsibility for the content found on external sites and offered details on its approach to external linking.