Are you wondering why you might want to go into collecting antique teddy bears? It really is a matter of taste when it comes to collecting antique teddy bears. It is quite possible for you to collect these bears on a wide variety of different levels. You can collect all kinds of different antique teddy bears including limited edition types, vintage types, artistic types, themed bears, bears that hail from a specific region and miniature antique teddy bears as well.

Some collectors of antique teddy bears come online looking for antique teddy bears because of the unique variety that is available. Make sure that you are both collecting with your heart and being intelligent about it at the same time. Make sure that you are only buying authentic antique teddy bears, for example. Here are some ways that you can tell how old antique teddy bears are, or what their origins are.

Label – The label for antique teddy bears is not going to lie. Even if a lot of the label has been worn away, you can still compare the label with identification books to identify the antique teddy bear that you have collected.

Hump - Unlike today’s modern teddies, antique teddy bears were created in a way that was meant to resemble true bears, and so they had a muscled hump in between their shoulders. Larger humps generally indicate that you have an older bear on your hands.

Limbs - Early antique teddy bears are going to be capable of being distinguished based on their long, curved and thin arms. Their legs were typically featuring narrow ankles with large feet at the ends, and the hips were usually quite wide as well.

Nose - Long noses tend to indicate earlier antique teddy bears. The long nose was designed to mimic the appearance of a real bear.

Eyes and Footpads – A teddy bear that has synthetic footpads and plastic eyes is generally going to date back to around the 1950s or the 1960s. Early bear makers made use of boot buttons or of glass eyes, and the foot pads were made out of either felt or velvet.

Joints – Many of the teddy bears originated from 1905 have joints that are made from wooden disks, allowing their limbs to be adjusted. The limbs from even earlier teddy bears could be made from metal rods, but those rods were generally only seen in lower quality bears. Upper end bears would have arm joints, leg joints and head joints, while many other antique teddy bears skipped out on the head joint.

Fabric – Mohair was the chosen fabric for most antique teddy bears because it was soft as well as durable and made out of goat hair to feel just like real hair. Antique teddy bears from after the 1930s may have silk or plush fabric instead, and later teddy bears were made from synthetic materials.

Photo Credits: Paul Keleher

Originally posted 2009-09-26 03:29:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Antiques

Antique bicycles, even ones as recent as the 1950s and 1960s, are highly sought out and prized among collectors today. Certain brands and types of bicycles are snapped up and restored by bike aficionados who pay far more for the bicycles than they cost when they were new. Some older bicycles from early bike history can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars, and while few collectors may get to own one, many go in search of them.

The predecessor to the bicycle was invented by a Baron in 1817 who wanted to be able to get around his royal gardens at a faster pace than walking. Sometimes referred to as the hobby horse, this machine had two wheels lined front to back, much like modern bicycles, though this differs from most antique bicycles because there were no pedals. The frame was wooden, which he straddled, then propelled himself forward by pushing his feet on the ground.

It was almost 50 years later before a new type of bicycle appeared, even though the word bicycle wouldn’t be used yet. The design was similar to the Baron’s walking machine, but pedals were attached directly to the front wheel. This machine was also made of wood (including the tires!) until metal tires were used later. This antique bicycle is known as a velocipede. It was also commonly called a bone-shaker. Picture wooden or metals wheels on cobblestone roads and it’s easy to see where it gets the name.

Then, in 1870, an all metal bicycle was created with solid rubber tires—the first design to be called a bicycle. It was also the smoothest ride of all the different designs because of the rubber tires. Antique bicycles of this type today are quite valuable, and easily recognized by the huge front wheel and the small rear wheel, which gives them the name high-wheel bicycle. The reasoning for the large wheel was simple engineering. A larger wheel would take a person farther with each rotation of the pedals, so people would get the largest tire they could, one that allowed for the entire length of their legs. Wealthy men often owned these, because they were very expensive.

High-wheel tricycles were designed to afford women more modesty. The two back wheels allowed the person to sit lower and behind the large front wheel, rather than on top of it, so women wearing skirts could keep others from seeing up them. These are also popular antique bicycles for collectors.

Chains, suspension and pneumatic tires were the next improvements, and the chains alone allowed the bicycles to go back to the two same-tire-size design. This allowed women to ride the lighter weight metal bicycles and still wear skirts, and men started riding bicycles to work, and they became a hugely popular item. If you want to restore antique bicycles to ride, you’ll need to do some research into the best types to purchase, but for display, almost any kind you like can be found online in places like eBay.

Originally posted 2008-12-23 14:00:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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