THE TSAR’S CHILDREN’S TEDDY BEAR?

Recently I was contacted by a reader who had an interesting story. He told me that his mother is a long time collector of antiques, and one of her acquisitions was an early Steiff bear that belonged to the Tsar’s children. Both of them were able to meet with me, and I was able to meet the teddy, whose name is, appropriately Nicholas, in person!

Nicholas the Bear is dressed in Russian military jacket and a Cossack hat with an imperial crest. It is circa 1904 -1906. The Bear is approx 11 ” tall and the mohair that was used was originally purple. It is unclear exactly how this bear ended up in the United States but the owner is in the process of researching the Steiff archives.

Teddy bear which reportedly belonged to the Tsar’s children. The current owner named him Nicholas.

Teddy bear which reportedly belonged to the Tsar’s children (close-up of hat)

Teddy bear which reportedly belonged to the Tsar’s children.

steiff xenia — Alfonzo looks very much like Nicholas!

steiff — Nicholas with two companions. The one in the back is a 1909 Steiff from the owner’s collection. The tiny one is a 1950’s Steiff which she graciously gave me as a gift. I named him Alexei.

steiff desk — Alexei the Bear at my computer desk. He will be joining Deri Olga and Tatiana soon!

steiff 2jpg — Designer and collector Nadine Gravatt with Nicholas, the teddy that once belonged to the Tsar’s children.

selfie — Yours truly with Nicholas, Steiff teddy that once belonged to the Tsar’s children.

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One thought on “THE TSAR’S CHILDREN’S TEDDY BEAR?”

This is wonderful. He certainly looks authentic and of the period. Steiff bears were and are expensive, heirloom items, so the average child of that era would likely not have one. Both my grown children and two grandchildren have their own Teddy Steiff bears 🙂

Cheryl Rychkov March 3, 2016 Reply

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