Restoration

Oldenbears takes pride in restoring old teddy bears without obliterating their original characters and past lives, using an understanding of the construction and history of teddy bears and the correct materials for restoration in keeping with the bear's age and character (with no unnecessary work, inappropriate materials or "over-restoration" carried out on any bear.) Happily, most of the traditional materials used for making vintage teddies are still in production today for the collectors' market, so it is often the case that a good match can be found, or a new material can be 'aged' to blend in with the old bear.

Because bear restoration can be labour-intensive involving fairly obscure materials which sometimes need to be specially ordered, in addition to the fact that no two bears are completely alike, a no-obligation quote is always given before any work is started and this quote is a firm one.

Should you for any reason decide not to go ahead, all that is required would be the postage for your bear's immediate return to you.

It's always a pleasure to answer any general queries you may have that aren't covered on these pages, but please note that a firm (no obligation) quote can only be given on an individual bear when your bear has been assessed "in the fur," as it's impossible to guess at the extent of the work that may need doing from a description or photographs alone......

And it goes without saying that all species of plush animals are welcome, not just teddies...!

PLEASE NOTE: IT'S IMPORTANT TO THOROUGHLY READ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BEFORE SENDING YOUR BEAR, AS THIS CLARIFIES WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T ACCEPT.

Price Guide (this really is a guide only & depends on sizes, amount of work, etc.)

Re-fix existing glass eyes..........................................£6.00 (£3.00 for one eye)

New glass eyes................................................from £12.00 (depending on size & type)

Set of 4 new paw/foot pads.........................from £66.00 (depending on size & material - done from the inside to look original.))

Replace individual paw/footpad................from £18.00 (depending on size & material - done from the inside to look original.)

Rejointing (individual joint).....................................£24.00

Rejointing

(entire bear~head & limbs - 5 joints in all)........................£90.00

Replace ears...............................................................£24.00

Re-attach existing ears..............................................£6.00

Replenish filling (part).........................................from £10.00 (woodwool or kapok)

from £5.00 (polyester)

Replace entire filling (excludes foam rubber)....from £30.00

Re-embroider nose/mouth.....................................£15.00

Part..................................................................................£7.50

Replace growler/Musical box................................£30.00

Finally, a word about abandoned goods: A very small number of people have sent us their teddy bears to be restored but failed to respond to any communication and never reclaimed their bears. We will therefore deem any bear, or other toy under these circumstances to have been abandoned 10 WEEKS after the first request for payment. This course of action is not undertaken lightly, we don't like doing it, and would only be as a very last resort.