Vectis Auctions

The Specialist sale held on the 10^th of August featured no fewer than nine private owner collections. The Surrey Collection included Corgi cars, TV and Film related vehicles, Corgi Rockets and Juniors, Dinky and Hot Wheels. The Essex Collection included further boxed and unboxed Corgi models, plus Gift Sets and Whizzwheels. Additional Corgi and Dinky models plus Tekno, Solido, French Dinky and white metal and resin models could be found in The West Yorkshire Collection, The British Columbia Collection, and The Northumbrian Collection. The Military Collection featured French Dinky military vehicles; The Robert Woodside Collection included Dinky Trucks, cars, Corgi, Triang and Spot-On, and The Cornish Collection featured Matchbox King size, Major Packs, Accessory Packs, Gift Sets and Regular Wheels. Further lots included a Private Owner Collection of boxed Rio models, Matchbox Yesteryear and Brumm. Also in the sale were trucks and construction vehicles, Brooklin Models, Automec, and further Corgi and Dinky.

The TV and Film related sale held on the 3^rd of August featured a number of loose and carded figures from Aliens, Predator, Masters of The Universe, Thundercats, Ghostbusters, Marvel and DC and many more. There were also a number of modern and vintage Star Wars figures ? loose, boxed and carded; playsets, accessories and collectables. There were further ex-shop stock Lego sets including Star Wars, Superheroes, Batman, Lego City, Creator and many others as well as Lego TT Games Developer bricks. The sale also included diecast vehicles from Hot Wheels, Corgi, EFE and others, plus Game of Thrones collectors? models, Marvel Diecast figures, Hot Toys 1:6^th scale boxed figures; books, annuals, posters DVDs and a boxed Raleigh Chopper.

Memories from Broughty Bears

In the Teddy Bear Sale on Friday 30^th July there is an extremely special collection of ex-shop stock teddy bears from the renowned Teddy Bear Shop Broughty Bears.

The store was always a bustling and energetic teddy bear shop that evolved from a modest corner and spread!

The family-owned, stationery and gift business was founded in 1979, by Fenella McDonald and her husband. In the 1980’s, the couple decided to add one or two bears to the giftware range on display in the stationers. As often happens with bears they multiply and before long the modest bear area evolved into the Broughty Bears Shop.

It was the introduction of the Steiff franchise that really propelled the gift shop into a must visit destination for bear lovers. Selecting new stock was always exhilarating. Anticipation of latest personalities to be released and the back stories behind the many replicas celebrating past events like the Titanic Bear, the history of Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter. It was always a magical experience when the new deliveries arrived, opening the boxes, seeing the faces smiling at them from inside the packaging. They were given a quick brush up and on to the shelves, where more often than not they were snapped up within days by eager collectors.

As the range expanded so did the number of customers, travelling from far and wide to be assured of a warm welcome from Fenella and the Broughty Bears team. The wonderful, double fronted entrance and window line was perfect for creative seasonal displays featuring the exciting new arrivals from Steiff, Robin Rive, Merrythought, Hermann and an assortment of quality artist teds.

The shop’s reputation and customer loyalty led it to be one of the top Steiff suppliers in the UK and as such they held store Steiff events twice a year. This included the much-anticipated Steiff Broughty Bears Event Bear, a different one produced annually for several years.

They worked closely with Hamish Strang and the other Steiff reps so the occasions always included opportunities to hear talks from some wonderful guest speakers. The charming and oh so knowledgeable Bear expert Leyla Maniera was the first guest, subsequently visiting Broughty Ferry on many occasions. Another highlight was a visit from Joachim Steiff.

The couple were also lucky enough to be able to visit Steiff Headquarters on three occasions. The first visit to Giengen was in 1999, it was also memorable for the fact they arrived during a snow storm. They managed to thaw out enough to be able to experience a superb tour through the factory and had the privilege of being allowed into the private Steiff archive where Herr Pfeiffer who compiled the Steiff Sortiment Books, was on hand to answer any questions. A second trip was swiftly planned by the couple, this time taking some of their customers along to share in the magical experience.

The couple have so many memories of all the lovely people they met through a shared love of bears. It was a truly magical time and the couple loved every minute.

For Fenella and Brian, the bear story is almost all complete, they retired to enjoy their expanding family. After much thought, the decision was made to offer the collection of Bears at auction with Vectis. As many will understand, the decision was heart wrenching but each family member chose the bears special to them so the house still has many special Ursine Friends. The bear and animals will now go on to have loving new homes and give friendship and pleasure to a whole host of different bear lovers old and new.

In Fenella’s own words – “Bears just gladden the heart and bring their own love into our lives. Bears are for everyone the world over to enjoy”.

The bears in the sale are in superb order and include some rare pieces. Below are a few highlights: –

The Broughty Bears Shop Collection is to be sold at Vectis on Friday 30^th July 2021. For more information, please contact Jo McDonald (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Kathy Taylor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or call +44 (0) 1642 750616.

The Anne Genner Crawford (MAFA) Collection

Born in 1944 in the North East of England. Trained at Sunderland and Birmingham Polytechnics in the 60s, she moved to Yorkshire, where she lived and worked in a cottage on the edge of the Peak District National Park.

Speaking about her work, she said, “In recent years my subject matter has derived from artifacts found in the rural environment in which I live. For some time I have worked with assemblage, collecting broken pottery, doll’s heads, shells and bits of lace. These objects, lying around my studio, began to interest me for their own sake and I began to draw and paint from them, arranging and re-arranging them endlessly. Sometimes the objects have great personal significance, sometimes they are simply things that I like. I put them together to create their own relationships, harmony, perhaps thought, perhaps disquiet.”

Anne exhibited regularly in the UK and USA. Her work is in private collections in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, USA and South Africa.

The Doll and Teddy bear sale held on the 30^th of July featured two private owner collections. The Broughty Bears Collection included over 230 lots of Steiff, including Club Edition, Beatrix Potter, Winnie The Pooh, and Disney, plus a New Orleans Band set, a Skittle Set and a Karl Lagerfeld teddy bear. Further items included Herman - Spielwaren, Steiff Sortiment books, calendars, and trade catalogues. The Anne Genner Crawford (MAFA) Collection featured 138 lots of antique bisque dolls from Simon & Halbig, Armand Marseille, Ernst Heubach, SFBJ and many others. Plus, Composition, celluloid and cloth dolls, vintage oriental toys, antique dolls and teddy bear cribs, chairs, prams, plus hats, wigs, body parts and mechanisms. Further Dolls and Teddy Bears included Artist Bears, Charlie Bears, Robertson?s Golly badges and collectables, vintage teenage fashion dolls, fabrics for crafting, and Rupert the Bear figures.