Chad Valley Mohair Bears


The Chad Valley Mohair teddy bear, made between the 1920s and 1950s is one of the most popular teddy bear collectibles. This was the prime production time of the Wellington based company and the mohair teddy was their best-selling item. Bears were made in gold, black and blonde mohair and from 1938 bore a label reading ‘Toymakers to Her Majesty the Queen’. The company were justly proud of their Royal Warrant and after the coronation of Elizabeth II changed the wording on their labels to, ‘the Queen Mother’ – a useful clue when dating the bears produced around this period.

When valuing vintage Chad Valley – the earlier the bear, the higher the price. A 1920s model in good condition will go for around £800 – 1000. These early bears, record a time of experimentation for the company which was just getting itself established. At this time they used a variety of different joining mechanisms and fillings – beginning with cork pieces but moving by the end of the decade to kapok stuffing which became characteristic of the company’s bears. Overall the bears from this period are rounder and chunkier in shape than their successors and are characterised by prominent round foreheads, big snouts and plump limbs. In the 1930s the designers started making changes to the bears’ facial features and at this time the nose developed from the rectangular or triangular nose into a thick-stitched horizontal shape which became the classic ‘Chad Valley nose’. A golden mohair teddy with a big, wide nose such as the ‘Cubby Bear’ or ‘Sonny Bear’ model dating from the 1930s will usually sell for around £500.

Wartime brought with it a number of restrictions to the manufacturing industry and the use of mohair was no exception. It was very hard to come by and Chad Valley experimented with sheepfleece, nylon and other synthetic materials. In the 1950s, the company began producing mohair bears again and these will be worth around £200 on today’s market. In the 50s the company branched out from the straightforward mohair teddys and started producing a range of soft toys based on TV characters. As well as Winnie the Pooh and friends they produced Sooty from the BBC show, ‘Sooty and Sweep’ and Toffee from ‘Listen with Mother’. However it is the classic mohair teddy that remains the most collectible Chad Valley item.