A COLLECTION of more than 300 rare teddy bears is set to fetch thousands of pounds when it goes under the hammer.

Mallams Auctioneers in Abingdon is selling off the hoard of Steiff, Merry-thought and other teddy bears following the death of an Oxfordshire collector.

Auctioneer Henry Cooke expected the lots to make about £3,000, but said they were probably worth £15,000-£20,000 when new.

Not much is know about the original collector apart from that she bought the teddy bears over a period of 20 years.

Mr Cooke said: “In terms of the amount of bears, it is an extraordinary collection.

“Some of them are limited edition, perhaps from a run of 150, and worth about £150 each when new.

“They are very sweet and I think even the hardest of hearts will secretly want one. It’s quite strange having them all here in the auction room, you feel as if they’re all looking at you.”

Some of the more interesting teddies include a multi-coloured ‘cheeky bear’, with bells in its ears, a Steiff Winnie the Pooh, a politically incorrect ‘Golly’, as well as a Merrythought bear called ‘Timmy the Teddy’.

A selection of animals including an elephant, polar bear and cat are also there.

Many of the bears are called ‘growlers’, as they make a low ‘grr’ sound when picked up.

Mr Cooke has grouped them into lots, with similar teddies being sold together, and others sold individually.

He added: “They are very collectible so we’re expecting a good turnout. ”

Ian Pout, who owns the Teddy Bears shop in Witney, said: “There is a huge market.

“Most of the ones we sell are not to children, but adults, and go all over the world. The most famous make is Steiff and they can sell for up to £400.”

The auction starts on Monday at 11am, but the lots can be viewed on Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

bellery@oxfordmail.co.uk

The catalogue can also be viewed online at mallams.co.uk from Wednesday