Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Teddy Bear in a Tin

Antique toy collecting is, in many ways, a treasure hunt, and treasures can sometimes be hiding in the most unlikely of places...like this rusty five inch wide tin box. 

 Nasty looking, isn't it? I'm amazed it wasn't just 
thrown out long ago...

But I'm extremely grateful it wasn't, because inside, 
where she clearly has lived for a very long time, 
was this four inch tall c.1910 Steiff bear and her silver tea set, 
all nestled in an antique embroidered silk cloth:


 Her tea set is itty bitty: the tray is two and a half inches long, 
and the teapot is just an inch tall.

For a sense of the bear's smallness, here she is nestled in my hand:


I thought she might appreciate being out of her box after such a long time tucked away, so here she is all moved into my antique tin kitchen, where she can make as much tea as she likes:



5 comments:

  1. She is gorgeous! Perhaps her tin is all rusty and worn because it was carried around a lot. It certainly looks like the bear had a lot of loving!
    That's a very well supplied kitchen she has now - even a tank for water! Does she have a table to put her teaset on, and a chair to sit on while she finally enjoys a refreshing cuppa?

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  2. Precious! So glad this little bear was rescued--he found a great home!

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  3. Yes, this bear was definitely well-loved. She was treasured by her original owner's family in Germany, and remained with them from her original purchase just before World War I until now, when the owner passed away and the estate was sold.
    The tin kept the little bear safe through two wars and 100 years: no wonder it looks so battered! I feel so fortunate to have been able to "adopt" her. She's had an interesting journey, from her long time in Germany, to a brief stop in England with the teddy bear dealer who discovered her, and now on to the United States!
    I'll have to get her a nice chair and table for her kitchen...

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  4. wowee.. what a score!! love your ancient tin kitchen too :)

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  5. What a precious little bear :) The little tea set is just gorgeous. The tin kitchen is an interesting piece, I've never seen anything like it.

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