Rare Antique Vintage artsilk Musical Chiltern Teddy Bear England UK 16in GUC+

Description

Relisting...new bears coming July 11th!
Please meet Ben, a quite rare antique/vintage musical Chiltern Teddy bear from England!!!  He has no I.D., but he is definitely a Chiltern.  He's from the late 1950s.  He is made of a silky plush material, which used to be a very bright gold, but has darkened over time, and I am unsure how to clean this material.  He has a black doggy plastic nose.  He has a windup music box in his back which plays Brahms' Lullaby and Goodnight very slightly offkey.  He does have one obvious issue.  When I bought him, he had three holes in his face and a tiny hole on his chest where his excelsior was sticking through.  I am not that much of a seamstress, so I didn't really know how to fix his muzzle, but then after thinking about it for some time, I decided to take a felting needle and some old tea-stained felt and incorporate the felt into his face.  Then I sewed on his mouth stitching.  I think he looks so very handsome now with his mischievous little smile!  He's wearing a little Build-A-Bear vest, which I think makes him so sweet.  He is five-way jointed and in good used condition.  Ben is 16 inches tall and weighs 1 pound, 6 ounces.  Could he be the one for you???  He is looking for a home where he can sing you to sleep with his favorite lullaby.  :0)
With regret, I am downsizing my teddy bear collection.   I have many different types, which I will be listing in the coming weeks (or months or maybe even years).   For now, I am only listing them once to see if anyone is interested, but I may relist them at some point in time in the future.  I live in a smoke-free home, but I do have cats who are barred from the bear room and bunny room(!).
And I've had to reorganize my listing so I can save all my info, thank you ebay...not.
*****PLEASE NOTE:
In case you don't know, ebay is now collecting taxes in some states.   When I send you an invoice or if you just pay for your item, I am unaware if you are being charged taxes or at what tax rate, as I am NOT the one collecting them.
To all my British friends, to make things even more complex and annoying, starting 1 January 2021, ebay will be collecting VAT on sales going into the UK from the US, so now not only will there be duty and a charge of £8 from the Royal Mail, but VAT will be charged as well.  Yikes!
A quick note about shipping:    Don't you hate it when you're overcharged by a seller on shipping????   A gazillion dollars to cross the pond or go across the country.  It's ridiculous.   I am striving to be accurate in my listing, but sometimes ebay's calculator is way off (especially for those outside the U.S.).   When i calculate shipping, I add in extra weight for the box.    If you're interested in an item outside the U.S., don't be scared by what the calculator is telling you.   Please contact me and I'll find out exactly what it would cost to post to your country and make a note in the listing.  I'll never overcharge you.   If I quote you a number and i can get it to you cheaper, I'll immediately refund the difference.
Please be aware in some countries there are custom charges that will be due when your package arrives, which I know is AWFUL.   I am not part of the Global Shipping Program at this time because you cannot combine shipping.   Many times overseas buyers buy more than one bear, and they would be charged more than once for shipping which in my opinion makes things much more expensive.   I will, however, pass along any discount I receive on international shipping (it's not a huge amount, but everything helps), and refund you the difference.   It seems like it is also taking an extra-long time for a bear to get overseas because of the current crazy conditions, so keep that in mind.
Please note I am not an expert in teddy bears...I am only downsizing.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Please see pictures.  They are part of the description.  Additional pictures on request.
Payment is due within THREE days of auction end.  PayPal only.  Combined shipping is always available.   I only charge actual shipping costs.   If it turns out the shipping estimator is wrong above , I will refund you the difference.
I am willing to ship internationally, but please ask if I post to your country and what it would cost BEFORE you bid, as it could be very expensive.  Ebay's calculator can be off either too high or too low!
Check out my other teddies that I am listing this week.
Thank you for looking at my auction