Most old teddy bears sell for about $20-150 as of late 2026. The bears that turn up in attics are usually post-1950 production from Steiff, Merrythought, Chad Valley, Knickerbocker, Gund and a hundred unnamed factories, and the ones in synthetic plush from the 1960s onward are worth $10-50 whatever their sentimental value. The bears that bring real money are the early ones: a jointed mohair bear made between about 1903 and 1930 by Steiff, Bing, Farnell, Ideal or Chiltern, with its button or label, with glass or boot-button eyes and a long-snouted, humped-back shape, sells for $1,000-15,000 and the rarest reach six figures. In between sit the 1930s to 1950s mohair bears from the good British and German makers, which bring $150-1,500 depending on maker, size and condition.
The price inside those ranges turns on three things: whether the bear is mohair with wood-wool stuffing, whether a maker can be named from a button, tag or shape, and how much of the original fur, pads and eyes survive. A bald, re-eyed, re-padded bear from a great maker sells for a fraction of a clean one.
Quick answer
- Most old bears: $20-150. Synthetic plush from the 1960s on: $10-50.
- Pre-1930 jointed mohair bears by Steiff, Bing, Farnell, Ideal, Chiltern: $1,000-15,000+.
- 1930s to 1950s mohair bears from Merrythought, Chad Valley, Chiltern, Hermann, Steiff: $150-1,500.
- The Steiff button in the left ear, and the color of the ear tag, date a Steiff within a few years.
- Steiff replicas and limited editions from the 1980s onward are plentiful and sell for $100-400.
How to identify and value a teddy bear, step by step
- Check the left ear for a button. Steiff has fixed a metal button in the left ear since 1904. An elephant button, 1904 to about 1905, is the rarest. A blank button dates to about 1905 to 1909. "STEIFF" in raised block letters with the final F trailing underneath the other letters runs from about 1905 to 1950. Raised script "Steiff" on a brass button appears from about 1952, a chrome button from the late 1970s. Bing used a metal arrow or button on the ear or under the arm; Merrythought used a wishbone button and a label on the foot; Chad Valley used a celluloid-covered button and a printed label.
- Read the ear tag if it survives. On Steiff the paper or linen tag under the button carries the product number and dates the bear: white tags about 1908 to 1926, red tags 1926 to 1934, yellow tags from 1934 onward for the standard line. White tags with red lettering from the 1980s on mark limited editions and replicas. White tags with black lettering mark the modern collector line.
- Feel the fabric. Mohair is spun from goat fleece on a woven cotton backing; it feels slightly coarse, has a faint luster and the backing shows as a fine weave where the fur has worn. Synthetic plush is softer, more uniform and lacks the weave. Nearly every bear worth over $200 is mohair.
- Squeeze the body. Wood wool, also called excelsior, crunches and rustles and makes the bear firm. Kapok is softer and silent and was common in British bears from the 1920s. Foam or polyester fill means post-1950s at the earliest.
- Look at the eyes. Black boot-button eyes on wire shanks are earliest, used until about 1910 to 1920. Blown glass eyes, often amber with black pupils, follow from about 1910 through the 1950s. Plastic safety eyes with a locking washer mean after about 1955. Replaced eyes are common and reduce value.
- Study the shape. Early German bears have a long, pointed snout, a pronounced hump at the top of the back, long curved arms reaching below the hips, big spoon-shaped feet, and a hand-stitched nose in black thread. Early American bears have a wider, flatter face and shorter arms. Post-1950 bears are rounder and shorter-limbed with a flatter face.
- Check the pads and seams. Felt pads are early; velveteen, rexine or leather pads came later. Many pads have been replaced. Five joints, at the neck, shoulders and hips, are standard for bears from the good makers; an unjointed body usually means a cheaper bear.
- Measure, then search sold prices for the maker and size. Bears are priced by maker, decade and height. A 24 inch early Steiff is worth several times a 10 inch one from the same year. Filter to sold listings and match condition honestly.
What the common makers sell for
Steiff of Giengen, Germany, made the first jointed mohair bear in 1902 and set the standard that Bing, Hermann and Schuco followed in Germany; Ideal, Columbia, Bruin and later Knickerbocker and Gund in the United States; and Farnell, Chad Valley, Chiltern, Merrythought and Dean's in Britain. The following prices assume a bear with most of its fur, original eyes and pads, no structural damage, as of late 2026.
| Maker and type | Era | Typical sold price, good condition, as of late 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Steiff, jointed mohair, early button, 10-14 inches | 1904 to 1920 | $2,000-8,000 |
| Steiff, jointed mohair, early button, 16-28 inches | 1904 to 1920 | $5,000-25,000+ |
| Steiff, 1920s to 1930s, white or red tag | 1920 to 1939 | $800-4,000 |
| Steiff Original Teddy, yellow tag | 1950s to 1960s | $150-800 |
| Steiff limited editions and replicas, white tag with red print | 1980 onward | $100-400 |
| Bing, with arrow or button, mohair | 1907 to 1932 | $1,500-8,000 |
| Schuco Yes/No and miniature bears | 1920s to 1950s | $150-1,500 |
| Hermann, mohair, with tag | 1930s to 1960s | $100-500 |
| Ideal, early American, unmarked, triangular head | 1903 to 1920 | $1,000-6,000 |
| Other early American bears, unmarked, mohair | 1906 to 1925 | $200-1,500 |
| Farnell Alpha, mohair, with label | 1915 to 1935 | $800-5,000 |
| Chad Valley, Chiltern Hugmee, Merrythought | 1925 to 1955 | $150-1,000 |
| Dean's Rag Book, Pedigree, other British | 1930s to 1960s | $60-400 |
| Knickerbocker, Gund, Character, American | 1940s to 1960s | $30-200 |
| Unmarked mohair bear, any origin | 1930s to 1950s | $40-250 |
| Synthetic plush bear, any maker | 1960s onward | $10-50 |
The last three rows are most of what people have, and the honest reading is that a worn synthetic bear is a treasured object with a small market. Value climbs steeply before 1930 and is highest for the large, clean, early German bears with their buttons, because they were expensive when new, were made in small numbers and were loved to pieces.
Condition and what adds or subtracts
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Full mohair, original eyes, pads and nose | The baseline for the prices above |
| Light fur wear, thin at the snout and paws | Minor deduction |
| Heavy fur loss, bald patches over a third of the body | About 25-50 percent of baseline |
| Replaced eyes | Deduction of 20-40 percent on early bears |
| Replaced pads | Deduction of 10-30 percent |
| Restuffed or reseamed | Deduction of 20-50 percent |
| Moth holes or active moth | Major deduction; treat before storage |
| Working growler or squeaker | Small premium; a silent one is expected |
| Steiff button and tag both present | Adds about 30-100 percent over the same bear without them |
| Original clothing, provenance photos or a named first owner | Adds 10-50 percent on early bears |
| Large size, over 20 inches, early maker | Multiplies price by two to four over a 12 inch example |
| White, cinnamon or black mohair on early Steiff | Rare colors; multiplies price on an early bear |
A bear with a Steiff button but no fur is still a Steiff and still has value, but the price drops steeply. The button, the shape and the fabric prove the maker; the condition sets the number.
Why early Steiff bears are worth so much
Steiff's early bears were hand-finished from high-grade mohair, sold through a few department stores and priced for wealthy families. Few were made relative to later decades, and most that survive have been played with for a century. The combination of a documented maker, a dated button, a distinctive shape and a shrinking supply of clean examples is what pushes a 1908 bear into five figures. The record prices, including the bear sold for over £100,000 in London in the 1990s, were for large, early, pristine examples with a story.
Steiff has also issued replicas of its early bears since the early 1980s, with the same shape and mohair and a modern button and white tag. They are well made and plentiful, and they sell for $100-400. They are not antique, and the tag says so.
How WorthPic reads teddy bear photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From a photo of the bear sitting square to the camera it reads the proportions that date it: the length and curve of the arms, the hump, the snout, the ear set and the foot shape. From a close-up of the fur it judges mohair against synthetic plush from the luster and the visible weave, and from the eyes it distinguishes boot buttons, blown glass and plastic. From the ear it reads the button type and the tag color, which places a Steiff within a few years, and from the foot it reads a Merrythought, Chad Valley or Farnell label. It then gives an honest value range for maker, era and the condition it can see, and states plainly where a maker cannot be named from the photos and what would settle it, which is usually a sharper photo of the button and ear tag or of the pads. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, it does not appraise for insurance and it does not vouch for a bear. Any bear that appears to be pre-1930 or worth more than about $500 belongs in the hands of a specialist teddy bear dealer or an auction house with a teddy bear department.
Common mistakes
- Washing an early bear. Water loosens the glue in the eyes, mats the mohair and can rust the joints. A soft brush and a specialist cleaner are the safe route.
- Replacing worn pads and eyes to tidy the bear before sale. Collectors would rather see the originals, however worn.
- Assuming a button in the ear means an early Steiff. Steiff has used buttons continuously since 1904; the shape of the lettering and the tag color give the decade.
- Taking a missing button as proof the bear is not Steiff. Buttons were removed from many bears as a choking hazard. The shape and construction can still identify one.
- Reading a Steiff replica as an antique. The white tag with red print and the modern chrome button say replica.
- Pricing from asking listings on the auction sites, where early bears sit unsold at hopeful prices for years.
- Storing a mohair bear in a damp loft or an unsealed box. Moths and mildew take more value from bears than age does.
What to photograph
- The bear seated or standing square to the camera, full length, so the proportions of snout, hump, arms and feet are visible. This is the photo that dates an unmarked bear.
- The left ear from the front and the back, close enough to read the button and the tag.
- The fur close up where it is worn, to show the weave of the backing.
- Each pad, with the seams and stitching visible.
- The eyes close up with a light source to one side, which shows glass against plastic.
- The nose and mouth stitching.
- Any label on the foot, side seam or chest.
- The bear next to a ruler or tape measure for height.
When to get it looked at in person
A synthetic plush bear or an unmarked post-war bear does not need an expert, and sold listings will price it. The bears worth a specialist's time are anything with an early button or label, anything in mohair with boot-button eyes and a long snout, and anything that appears to be worth more than about $500. A specialist teddy bear dealer, an auction house with a dolls and bears department or a national teddy bear collectors club can identify a maker from the shape and the stitching, spot a replaced eye or a replica, and reach the buyers who pay the top prices. Our guide to antique porcelain dolls covers the German and French bisque that so often shares the trunk. For later toys, vintage Barbie and Beanie Babies explain the 1960s and 1990s markets, and found something and do not know what it is is the place to start for an unmarked object.