Restoration

We can usually restore most teddies (or other toy animals) successfully, so never fear! Using special techniques, we are able to make almost every repair either unnoticeable or almost-unnoticeable. We offer your bear a very high standard of craftsmanship and we can honestly say, a miraculous recovery.

Before we begin, we study the bear carefully and do extensive research to ensure that each restoration will be as authentic as possible and that Teddy will look his age, but with no damage! For example, some restorers will always simply stitch (or horror upon horrors, glue!) a replacement paw pad over the top of the damaged one. We don't unless the circumstances dictate that we must do this. Most of the time, we replace the paw pads properly from the inside to look like the originals. If we can identify the maker, then we will follow the bear's original specification. Even if no maker is obvious, we will still have a really good idea of Teddy's age and characteristics. Please rest assured that we will certainly not get the urge to, e.g. give your old bear a disproportionately huge pair of eyes just because we think big eyes are 'cute' (which we don't); neither do we ever use glue or anything vaguely adhesive when the sewing gets tough!

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 is '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.

A CAUTIONARY NOTE - You may find others offering what appears at first glance to be very similar restorative work at bargain basement prices. But please be careful; the standard of workmanship, attention to detail and respect for original character will be nothing like an Oldenbears restoration. There is a reason why complex, detailed work that we would normally devote several days to, apparently takes some other restorers only minutes - bish-bash-bosh, job done - (judging by their prices) and sadly this reason often becomes all too clear when the precious bear is returned. In fact many of these poor teddies have eventually been sent on to us to put right by unhappy owners who regretted not getting them done properly in the first place!
As we all know, if something sounds too good to be true.........................................................................

Price Guide

* PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A £20 MINIMUM CHARGE. *

FOR ANY WORK THAT TOTALS MORE THAN THIS, PRICES WILL REVERT TO THOSE HERE:

EYES
Re-fix existing pair glass eyes.......£5.00 - £10.00 depending on size of bear
Re-fix one glass eye.......................£3.00 - £6.00 depending on size of bear
Replacement glass eyes..............£8.00 - £12.00 depending on size
Hand-painted to order...............£10.00 - £14.00 depending on size

PAW PADS
Set of 4 new pads (wherever possible, inserted from the inside to look original.)
Small/Medium Bear...........................£55.00 fabric - £65 real leather
Large Bear...........................................£60.00 fabric - £70 real leather
Individual paw/footpad (wherever possible, inserted from the inside to look original.)
Small/Medium Bear .........................£15.00 fabric - £20 real leather
Large Bear .........................................£20.00 fabric - £25 real leather
Card-reinforced inner soles...........£10.00 extra

JOINTING
Rejoint head
Small/Medium Bear........................£20.00
Large Bear.........................................£25.00
Rejoint arm or leg
Small/Medium Bear........................£15.00 per joint
Large Bear........................................£20.00 per joint
Tighten up existing joint..................£5.00 per joint

PLEASE NOTE THAT 'MADE IN EIRE' BEARS INCUR AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF 50% FOR RE-JOINTING AS THEY INVOLVE EXTRA WORK BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL JOINTING IS ATTACHED WITH BOLTS AND CANNOT BE REMOVED IN THE NORMAL WAY - THEY HAVE TO BE CUT OUT OF THE BEAR AND THE MATERIAL REPAIRED UNDERNEATH. EVEN IF THE ORIGINAL LABEL IS MISSING, WE CAN IDENTIFY THESE BEARS. THE ORIGINAL JOINTS WOULD BE RETURNED TO YOU.

EARS
Re-attach existing ears.................£5.00
Replacement ears.......................£20.00

STUFFING
Re-stuff (part)
Woodwool / Kapok......................£15.00- £25.00
Polyester...........................................£5.00- £10.00

Stuffing supplement extra-large bears. £20.00

NOSE / MOUTH / CLAWS
Re-embroider nose/mouth..........£7.50
Re-embroider claws.......................£5.00
Replacement plastic nose.........£10.00

VOICES
Tilt Growler (traditional hardboard growler protected to prevent stuffing getting inside)
Small/Medium/Large.................£13.00

Extra Large ...................................£15.00

Squeaker.......................................£10.00

Key-operated musical box......£30.00

MISCELLANEOUS REPAIRS
Skin grafts / holes, missing limbs, etc.............individually quoted

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 or pay for work carried out 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, when we reserve the right to claim the bear as our property. We really don't like the thought of doing this and it would only be as a very last resort when all else had failed.