How Much A Life-Sized Teddy Bear Was Actually Worth On Pawn Stars
From Beanie Babies to unboxed Barbies, toys are considered by some to be the ultimate collectibles. In a recent episode of History's "Pawn Stars," Corey Harrison even bought a full set of "Toy Story" toys — although the price wasn't as high as you'd think. And these were far from the first toys to find their way into the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Remember the life-sized Steiff stuffed bear that seller Roland wheeled into the shop on Season 5?
Steiff is a German toy company that was established in 1880. The company was the first to make stuffed bears with moveable limbs in 1902. However, it wasn't until 1906 — when an American trader ordered 3,000 Steiff bears — that they became popular in the U.S. They were sold as "Teddy's Bears" in the States, following the lead of Morris and Rose Michtom, Brooklyn toymakers who were inspired by the story of President Theodore Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a tied-up bear on a hunting trip.
Roland wants $5,000 for his Steiff bear but reveals in his pre-negotiation interview that he would settle for $4,000. Before he can get anything for it, though, Richard "Old Man" Harrison has to have it appraised.
Big Bear, Small Price
The Old Man calls in vintage toy expert Johnny Jimenez to learn a little bit more about the life-sized Steiff bear before him — and, more importantly, to get some insight on its value. Johnny reports that "as far as collectible bears go, there's no bigger name than Steiff ... they've been handcrafting bears since the beginning and still to this day ... Nothing but high-quality pieces, a lot of limited-production runs, and some of the earlier pieces fetch huge amounts of money." So far, things are looking good for Roland.
But then comes the bad news: Johnny tells the Old Man that the bear is likely only 25 or 30 years old, and "unfortunately, size isn't always a good thing" — the life-sized scale of this teddy bear makes it less sellable because fewer people will have the space to house it in their collections. For these reasons, Roland's bear is only worth between $1,500 and $2,000 — shocking the seller. Obviously, his $5,000 asking price is too high, so he asks the Old Man for $2,000 for the stuffed toy.
That won't work either, as the Old Man would then surely take a loss on the deal, so the pawnbroker counters with $1,000 — "That, or you can lug the damn thing home," he tells Roland. But the seller is committed to getting as much as possible for his beloved Steiff teddy bear, and he counters with $1,500. The Old Man, clearly still interested, continues to play ball, asking $1,100 — his actual final offer — but the seller decides to walk away, hoping that, with time, the bear's value will increase. Maybe he'll come back to the shop on Season 19 to see if that's indeed the case?