Meet Ludlow…the newest addition of the Crowned Leopard teddy bear family! Ludlow is a very old Steiff bear dating from between 1915 and 1930 with a golden mohair coat, clear glass eyes and sadly…only one ear. While the ear missing would have typically carried his identification button, there is a very good chance he is indeed a Steiff bear based on the shape of his head and elongated nose, the positioning of his ear and the length and curvature of his arms. With a bit more research I am positive we will be able to more closely pin point his age and without a doubt determine he is from the elite family of handmade German Steiff bears.
Before he arrived I tracked down the name of a reputable bear repair person in the Seattle area to whom I plan to send him to repair his left ear. She will likely take his good ear, split it into 2 pieces and use one old piece each with a new plush to create 2 new ears to reattach. Apparently, this is a very common repair on these old bears as their loving, young owners would tote them around by the ear with the ear eventually giving way and becoming lost!
Ludlow arrived this past week and was just as charming and handsome as he had appeared in his photos! He has a fairly full coat of mohair considering his age and when you push his tummy he squeaks! Squeakers were common on older bears but most of the time you will find they no longer work due to years of squeezing. I did notice however that Ludlow was a bit dirty due to years of love and traveling around so I consulted bear books written by experts to determine best way to clean him without damaging him. In the next post I will detail the steps I took along with photos. You will see just how nicely he cleaned up. He is quite dapper looking and can’t wait to visit the bear hospital to have his ear replaced. More details on this special bear coming soon! “WHAT??” I said more details on you are coming soon, Ludlow! (see…he’s just a bit hard of hearing for now…)
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