Treasures in your attic: Little bear has value

Q. This small teddy bear belonged to my husband's mother and she told me it was from the 1920s or '30s. It is a Schuco Perfume Bear from Germany. The head comes off and there is a small perfume vial with a cork inside. It is 5 inches tall and has movable arms and legs. The mohair is in good shape. Could you tell me about its age, origin, maker and if it has any value?

A. What a cute little fellow this is. As we've written before, the name “Teddy” comes from the nickname for President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a bear cub while on a hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902.

Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman immortalized the scene in a cartoon that was seen by Morris Michton, who, along with his wife, Rose, ran a candy store in Brooklyn, N.Y. They also made stuffed animals. In response to the cartoon, the Michtons stitched up the Teddy Bear (or Teddy's Bear, as it was then called) and displayed it in their store window.

It was an immediate hit and was the foundation for the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. The bear in today's question is much younger than the first Teddy Bears, but it is still very collectible and modestly valuable.

The history of the company that used the trade name “Schuco” is a little unclear. Most sources say the company was founded in 1912 in Nuremberg, Germany, by businessman Heinrich Schreyer and toy designer Heinrich Mueller. (One source suggests Mueller may have been 17 at the time.)

The company's official name was Spielzeugfirma Schreyer & Co. or simply Schreyer und Co.,” depending on the source consulted. The company itself says that the name was changed to “Schuco” in 1921.

The company is perhaps best known for its tin and die cast toys, but it also manufactured a line of stuffed toys. Its first bear was issued in 1913 — as a pull toy on wheels. It had nothing whatsoever to do with a Teddy Bear.

Shortly thereafter, Schuco reportedly closed for the duration of World War I, but reopened in 1918. About 1921, Schuco introduced the “Yes/No Bear,” which could bob its head up and down for yes and from side to side for no just by operating a lever in the bear's tail.

In 1924, Schuco introduced its “Piccolo” Bears, which were small animals (9 to 15 centimeters) covered in a mohair plush that came in a variety of shades. In 1927, it introduced “Compact Bears” designed to fit into a lady's handbag. These contained a mirror, powder compact and puff, and a lipstick.

Other varieties of this Schuco product contained a manicure set, while others contained a perfume atomizer. The perfume atomizer bears look a little funny because their bodies are essentially disk shaped and the bears looks as if they swallowed a relatively large lollipop whole.

The Schuco perfume bear — in good condition, as this one appears to be — should be valued for insurance purposes at $300 to $400.

• Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928.