How much is it worth?
Over the past forty years a huge number of Paddingtons have been produced, bought, treasured and stored. Therefore it is very difficult to say how much your Paddington is worth.
To place a value on your bear, or book, you need to take it to a specialist. Using a search engine, like Google, will help you find one in your local area.
Paddington & Co. Ltd.
A professional valuer needs to be able to see the product in order to ascertain its worth.
The best way to get a Paddington valued is to take it to someone who specialises in selling old toys. Paddington and Co. Ltd. do not specialise in selling old toys. You can often find details of such people by looking in the classified ad sections of specialist teddy bear or toy magazines or possibly by searching on the Internet.
Generally speaking the most valuable bears will be those made in the UK by Gabrielle Designs in the early to mid-1970's and they are likely to increase in value if they are looked after. Currently Gabrielle Paddingtons are selling on eBay in the UK for between £45 and £80, although a very early one, in perfect condition and complete with original hat, coat, boots and "Please Look After This Bear" label can be worth as much as £150
Gabrielle bears all have a label sewn into the back seam of the bear itself. Many people assume that the year 1972 which is shown on this label is the year that the bear was made. However, this is not the case because 1972 simply refers to the date when the design was first registered and does not indicate the age of the Paddington.
The only way to tell if a Gabrielle Designs Paddington is one of the very first ones to be made is by looking at the legs of the bear. Pull off the boots and look to see if there is any hint of a foot shape. If the legs are totally straight, ending in a stump, then you almost certainly have a bear which was made in the early to mid 1970s.
Book, and other product, values
Apart from the bears themselves, there are other Paddington items which are worth collecting.
First edition books are always worth keeping, especially if you are lucky enough to find a hardback edition of one of the earlier novels such as "A Bear Called Paddington". Copies signed by the author are always extra special although, interestingly, it will have a great value if it is not dedicated to a specific person.
Gerenally, the best way to get a book valued is to seek an antique book specialist of your choice who is relatively local to you. A quick search on the Internet for 'antique books valuation' will come up with a whole host of sites to explore and a possible selection of different words, for example include your location, will give you even more sites.
Gerenally, the best way to get a book valued is to seek an antique book specialist of your choice who is relatively local to you. A quick search on the Internet for 'antique books valuation' will come up with a whole host of sites to explore and a possible selection of different words, for example include your location, will give you even more sites.
Other collectible items include figurines and china, and anything which has been produced in a limited edition.
Since all officially licensed Paddington products carry a copyright notice you should always check for this to find out whether a product is genuine. In most instances the copyright notice will include a year and this can be very useful in helping to identify the age of a product.