How much is a 1905 steiff bear worth?

Answer 1

There are too many factors to determine a value based simply on age.

Condition is most important, if the bear is terribly abused or missing pieces it's virtually worthless. If the bear is in pristine or gem mint condition with tags it could be worth thousands. Bears from this era sell anywhere from $5 to $5000 and the primary factor is condition.

It really needs to be appraised by an expert, even minor condition changes like a stain on the tag or barely noticeable pieces of fur missing can mean a change in value of thousands of dollars.

Also the size and rarity will factor in. Some of the pieces were more mass produced than others and will affect value. Also they were made in different sizes, the normal sized bears hold the most resale value not only because they are the 'toy' that everyone wanted but because those are the sizes most often destroyed through every day use. Small supply of good condition bears, large demand for them.

On the other hand the larger display models may look cool, they are not as in demand from collectors. Most people do not have the room to display such a large piece so the market demand for them is smaller. Also since they were not handled and abused as often, the few that remain are in relatively decent condition and are enough to satisfy the few people willing to display such a large model. Small supply of good condition bears, but very small demand for them.

In the end stuffed bear values are very subjective and the market fluctuates; but you will need more information than just age to determine even a range of value.