From 2002, we welcome the first of many extraordinary characters. His name is James and he was born in 1896. In 1913 at the tender age of just 17 years old, James left his home in Liverpool, UK and crossed the Atlantic with the hope of possibility and success. America was known as the Golden Land, due to how quickly it had flourished to its sustainable status and was continuing to boom, thanks to those who had left distant shores bringing diversity, skills, talent and culture.
This glorious piece, from the Immigration Teddy Bear series is made in collaboration with The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundation and the acclaimed German maker, Steiff.
James is a 23 cm / 9.5 ", fully jointed character teddy bear. He has been sewn from a luxurious and dense, wavy blonde mohair with warm, wool felt paws. He has the most friendly, 'full of hope' expression, thanks to his glossy black eyes and hand stitched, black nose, whilst his tailored attire consists of a navy blue wool felt coat decorated with a trio of silver-coloured buttons and matching cap, plus a contrasting red wool felt waistcoat, complete with four gold-coloured buttons. In his left paw he holds the American flag, showing his allegiance to his new world and in his right, a simple burlap sack, wrapped around his few worldly possessions.
James is a Limited Edition of only 1,896 pieces and comes in a presentation box, which tells you his story, complete with his 'inspection card, contained within a small booklet and his numbered, certificate of authenticity.
