A Merrythought Guardsman standing display teddy bear

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INTRODUCTION by Gyles Brandreth, joint founder of The Teddy Bear Museum, Stratford-upon-Avon This is a special day in the history of the teddy bear. My wife [Michele Brown historian, writer, publisher] and I [Gyles Brandreth author, broadcaster, former MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury] have been collecting teddy bears since we were children in the 1950s. By the 1980s, when we had children of our own, we had built up such a collection that we felt we could not house it at home and wanted to share it with others. Thats why we opened the Teddy Bear Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. Because the teddy bear owes his name to the twenty-fifth president of the United States, the Teddy Bear Museum was opened on American Independence Day, 4 July 1988. The Museum was formally launched by the American Ambassador, the Hon Charles H Price II, and officially opened by the Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, Councillor Geoffrey Lees. The Museum was set in an historic Tudor house (once the property of Henry VIII) in Greenhill Street, Stratford, a stones throw from the birthplace of William Shakespeare. When Shakespeare came of age, he left Stratford and made his way to London for a life in the theatre. Four hundred years on, the bears from the Teddy Bear Museum are doing the same. Famous bears and bears of the famous bears loaned to us or given to the collection are now living at the Polka Theatre, Britains foremost childrens theatre, at 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19. The rest our personal collection are being sold at auction today. This is a unique event an historic event: the last auction of its kind to be held at Christie's and a special event: the sale of a collection described by CBS News as world famous because it deserves to be. When the Teddy Bear Museum opened it was honoured with a British Tourist Authority Come to Britain trophy. Since then, more than a million arctophiles, from countries as far apart as Australia and Zimbabwe, have visited the museum. It has won acclaim around the world and been featured on radio and television, in the press and in all the significant literature on the history of the teddy bear. The visitors to the award-winning museum have included famous bears and famous people - from rock stars to royalty, from Rolf Harris to Matthew Corbett and Sooty. Dame Judi Dench has taken a special interest in our theatrical bears; Christopher Robin Milne (yes, Christopher Robin!) gave his blessing to the museum when it opened. Today is your opportunity to take home a piece of teddy bear history. The bears on sale today have all led remarkable lives. Some are very old, one or two are centenarians. Some of the bears on sale today will prove much more costly than others, but each one of them has been equally loved. For us, it has been a privilege to look after them over the past several decades. We trust that, thanks to you and thanks to today's sale, each one of them can enjoy a happy and secure future. Gyles Brandreth IMPORTANT NOTICE Goodie Bag - Every lot included in this sale comes with a surprise goody bag, a selection of items which are from the museums gift shop. The photograph shows the range of items included, plus a few lucky buyers will be receiving more valuable items, like the Hermann Shakespeare bear or a Past Times bookend shown. Each lot will also include a Teddy Bear Museum Official Guide and a special certifcate signed by Gyles Brandreth. THE MUSEUM ENTRANCE AND FOYER

Details

A Merrythought Guardsman standing display teddy bear
with golden plush head, hands and feet, original uniform, cloth label on foot and card tag in ear, 1980s --76in. (193cm.) height to top of hat (faded and a bit battered)

Literature

For this actual bear see The Teddy Bear Museum - The Official Guide, page 2.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This lot is subject to storage and collection charges. **For Furniture and Decorative Objects, storage charges commence 7 days from sale. Please contact department for further details.**

Lot Essay

This is the last remaining of two bears that used to stand everyday outside the museum, hence his condition. He appears in the watercolour of the outside of the museum lot 77.

Note from Gyles - 'Originally one of a pair, the other bear is living in quiet retirement in a sleepy village just outside Hastings'

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