U.S. Zone Steiff "Teddy Baby"
Watch
GUEST:
I got him at an auction sale in a box of miscellaneous junk, and he happened to be down in the bottom of this box. And I've had him probably ten, 15 years. I like Steiff toys, so he was a real find for me. He has the button in the ear and he has some tags and that's all I know.
APPRAISER:
He is a Steiff, as you had thought. He has a Steiff tag that says "Teddy Baby" on it, so he is a Teddy Baby. Teddy Baby started being made in about the 1930s. He also has a "US-Zone Germany" tag on the side of his body, and the tag identifies that he was made approximately between 1948 and 1952. Now, you don't remember what you paid for the box?
GUEST:
Approximately ten dollars. I don't pay a lot for a miscellaneous box of junk.
APPRAISER:
That's okay. This particular piece has been reproduced, but this is an old one, and it is the most rare of all the sizes of the Teddy Babies, so you can find Teddy Babies that are quite a bit bigger than he is, but they are quite a bit less expensive. This particular one is around three inches, and most Steiff three-inch bears, you're going to be looking at somewhere between $20 and $75. This little guy, in a retail situation, you're going to find somewhere between $750 and $1,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness!
APPRAISER:
So you made a really, really lovely find in your auction box that was a nice thing.
GUEST:
I had no idea!
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
