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Buy Stuffed Animals and Collecting Teddy Bears

When you buy stuffed animals, you may not realize that you are making an investment in something that will not only be cherished just for being a soft toy, but could also be of some monetary value one day. Collectors all over the world are well aware that when they buy stuffed animals, especially very old ones, they may be lucky enough to get a glimpse into some historical evidence of a past childhood. When any type of documentation comes with a purchase and it illustrates the life of the former owner, that information is always extremely valuable to collectors.

The collecting of anything, such as teddy bears, is really a very personal occupation. The hobby of collecting teddy's is usually influenced by what's available, how much money there is to spend on it, and even trends in the market. But, in general, most collectors are far more interested in the teddy bears' character and history over what they may be worth. Teddy's are chock full of character and provide a valuable link with childhood and simpler times. There is no denying what wonderful companions they make and every one of them has their own distinct personality. Some of the older bears, especially those dating back one hundred years or so, have 'old boy' type characters, having been developed that way based on the long life they have lived.

When a choice is made to buy stuffed animals like the teddy bear and a particular brand is chosen, that too is a very personal decision. While one collector may prefer Steiff bears (the original teddy circa 1902), another may lean towards Chiltern (a 1923 teddy called Hugmee bears which had distinctive nose embroidery). Ultimately, anyone that does collect teddy bears loves every one of them no matter their shape, size, pedigree, or age. The manufacturer, however, does play an important role when deciding on what a teddy bear will be worth. Steiff bears are still the ones that dominate the market and on a regular basis, receive the highest prices at auction. In October 2010, for example, the largest collection in the world of both Steiff teddy bears and soft toys was sold at Christie's Auction in London, England for just over 1.6 million dollars. One of the prized bears, a Steiff Harlequin teddy bear dating back to 1925, sold for $75,000 dollars. A 1953 Steiff black original teddy sold for $48,000 dollars. Other teddy bear manufacturers (from Germany) are also in high demand - Schuco, Jopi, and Bing. Amongst British-made bears, Farnell are the leaders but Merrythought, Chad Valley, Chiltern, and Dean's are all increasing in both demand and value.

When you buy stuffed animals (like the teddy bear), the ones most desirable for collectors are those which have all of their identifying labels, buttons, or swing tags, still intact. Finding teddy bears which are that complete, are rare however, as many of their trademarks have been removed or lost over time through wear and tear. Since 1904, all Steiff bears left the factory with a metal button in their left ear, but many parents went on to remove it thinking it was a choking hazard for small children. Even if a Steiff bear doesn't have its signature metal buttoned ear, they can still be clearly identified, but without the button, their value can easily be affected.

Communication and Social Organization in the Animal Kingdom

Many people who watch snake charmers play music to their cobras often marvel at the way the snakes seem to respond to the music. But research shows that snakes cannot hear high-pitched sounds. If a cobra is blindfolded, you can play music for hours and the snake will sit still. If you remove the blindfold and wave your arms, the snake will raise its head and spread its hood. Therefore, the cobra does not respond to the music, but to the movements of the snake charmer.

To find out how animals communicate, we must observe them carefully; we must carefully monitor the signals passed from one animal to another, as well as study their responses. Scientists and biologists have studied the ways in which animals communicate by observing animals in their natural environments, as well as in zoos, aquariums and laboratories. They have also had to travel to jungles or mountaintops to follow and document the movements and responses of the animals they observe. Other electronic instruments can turn these sounds into pictures on paper, called sound spectrograms, which can be more accurately examined and compared. Scientists also need to bring binoculars, cameras, recorders and other hardware to keep track of all the howls, cries, songs, grunts and barks of the animal world. As you can see, human hearing plays a very little part in the study of animal communication.

Observations and experiments have shown that all animals have a certain "language". It is not a language like ours, for animals do not communicate with words or sentences. But they do have many signals-- they employ body movement and a number of sounds to produce a response in another animal perceiving it. The signals play an important part in the social life of these animals. Most of these signals have to do with parent-young relationships, food hunting, avoiding enemies, meeting of the sexes and keeping in touch with other members of a group.

Vocal signals are constantly exchanged between many mother animals and their young. The hen calls for her chicks with different signals that can mean either food, sleep, or an emergency. Young chicks are also able to give distress calls that alert their mothers. This call is also important when the young birds leave the nest. It makes it possible for their parents to find them if they are accidentally hidden from sight and get lost. There is also a constant calling back and forth between baby and mother among deer, cows, sheep and goats.

Calls of alarm or distress, as well as a special kind of movement associated with it, are common in the animal kingdom. Many birds avoid enemies this way. Gulls are often pests on the landing strips of airfields, so playing fake alarm calls is a way of getting rid of them. Many kinds of deer have hisses or barks that warn the herd of danger. Alarm calls by baby monkeys and apes immediately bring their parents to their side. Warning calls by prairie dogs are signals for these animals to dash into their holes.

Animals also use their voices to produce food calls. The call brings many of the same species and from all directions, like what seagulls do when they spot a huge school of fish. Animal that hunt other animals have special hunting cries. The gray wolf calls the pack with a long smooth howl when it finds food. While the hunt is on, short rapid barks keep them together. When the prey is being pulled down, the wolves howl and snarl like a bunch of dogs.

All animals have ways of attracting members of the opposite sex with they are ready to mate. Sometimes males make thumping sounds and turn into different colors so they can provide a sound and a sight signal to the females. Some female snakes attract males by their movements and their odor. Odor is also a powerful signal used by voiceless mammals. Often there are special glands in their skin that give off powerful scents. These are then deposited on trees or rocks for prospective mates to follow.