Can you remember when Martin Hermann used to come to the Q (before defection to IW) with this range? A huge part of my collection is made up of Hermanns. And you used to be able to go online, and enter your name in the book. I bought the Knights of the Round Table bears : Merlin, Lady Guinevere, Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad. I do like my dressed bears, although I am veering more towards the plain ones now. And Robin Rive, I've got her's. Then she got ill, and I don't know whether she still designs.
When I consider that the main bear range on the Q now, is Charlie Bears, with fewer Steiff shows, I find it impossible to comprehend why the quality, LE ranges (which I collect), have been dropped for what I consider to be a decorative range, which is priced to sell in quantities. I do like some of the bears, and would perhaps buy them to go on my bed, they are not a true collectable, more a cheap and cheerful line. Having said all that, Ebay is a hive of activity for CB enthusiasts, who missed out on bears now retired. I bought Rhubarb and Crumble when it was a tsv, and it is for sale on ebay, for £100! The sellers know that CB lovers will pay whatever they have to, to get bears they really want. I am hankering after a Kaycee bear, Cassie, which sold for £84.95 upon release. Now it is retired and unable to be bought. Even if it was, I wouldn't pay more than it sold for originally.
I think compared with Charlie and Will, Martin Hermann was perhaps regarded as being a bit reserved, and an oddball. Personally, I liked him, he knew his stuff, his sister designed the bears. The pivotal selling point with CB is, undoubtedly, the Morrises. For me, they are a negative. Hermann Spielwaren made their bears LE; On the rare occasions CB do a LE, it is a huge LE. Or they do a special edition. Which indicates to me that, essentially, they are in it to make money, which is no bad thing; just don't make out you're doing it for love, and the reason so many bears of one design are produced, is because they don't want people to miss out!
When I consider that the main bear range on the Q now, is Charlie Bears, with fewer Steiff shows, I find it impossible to comprehend why the quality, LE ranges (which I collect), have been dropped for what I consider to be a decorative range, which is priced to sell in quantities. I do like some of the bears, and would perhaps buy them to go on my bed, they are not a true collectable, more a cheap and cheerful line. Having said all that, Ebay is a hive of activity for CB enthusiasts, who missed out on bears now retired. I bought Rhubarb and Crumble when it was a tsv, and it is for sale on ebay, for £100! The sellers know that CB lovers will pay whatever they have to, to get bears they really want. I am hankering after a Kaycee bear, Cassie, which sold for £84.95 upon release. Now it is retired and unable to be bought. Even if it was, I wouldn't pay more than it sold for originally.
I think compared with Charlie and Will, Martin Hermann was perhaps regarded as being a bit reserved, and an oddball. Personally, I liked him, he knew his stuff, his sister designed the bears. The pivotal selling point with CB is, undoubtedly, the Morrises. For me, they are a negative. Hermann Spielwaren made their bears LE; On the rare occasions CB do a LE, it is a huge LE. Or they do a special edition. Which indicates to me that, essentially, they are in it to make money, which is no bad thing; just don't make out you're doing it for love, and the reason so many bears of one design are produced, is because they don't want people to miss out!
