About Edwina

Edwina is a very special bear and to be quite honest, although it’s not nice to have favourites, she is the undisputed star of my collection. I fell in love with her when I saw her photograph in a Christie’s auction catalogue back in 2002, and when I viewed her in the ‘fur’ I became even more smitten.

So, to the nitty-gritty: she is a 19-inch white mohair Steiff bear, described by Christie’s as 1930s but various experts have agreed that she is more likely late 1920s (Edwina herself is a little vague about her age). She was put in to the auction wearing a blue gingham pinafore dress and a pottery necklace that spells out her name, and with her was a pretty red and white frock and a small patchwork quilt made of matching red and white material. After I’d made discreet enquiries, I discovered that Edwina once belonged to a member of a very famous, VERY rich American family, a family whose surname is in fact synonymous with untold wealth. So when poor Edwina came to live with me she came down to earth with a bump because, frankly, she was used to better things. To make up for it, she has been lording it over the rest of my hug ever since and they good-naturedly put up with it because she is, after all, a very special bear.

 

Why Edwina’s Friends?

As Edwina is the grande dame of my bear collection it seemed only right and proper to name the business after her. The bears that make up my own personal collection are known as Edwina’s Family, so it made sense that the bears staying with us only temporarily should be called Edwina’s Friends.

 

About Kathy Martin

I have been collecting teddy bears for over 20 years, and writing about them for over 10. In particular I was Editor of Teddy Bear Scene magazine from 2001 to 2008. I loved the job but it was very time consuming so I was unable to get started on other projects that I’ve been dreaming about for years. So,  I decided to leave but I do still write a monthly teddy bear column for Collect It! magazine and produce regular teddy bear supplements for Collect It! And now I am working on my first Teddy Bear Annual which will be on sale in W H Smith from 19th November 2009.

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Once you are ready to place an order, please email me on kathymartin@edwinasfriends.co.uk  or

telephone +44 (0)1189 776272.

 

You can pay by cheque or by credit card via Paypal (it doesn’t matter if you do not have a Paypal account, you can still make a payment using your own credit card; if you’re unclear about this, please call me and I’ll explain). Orders will be despatched once payment has been received in full and cleared.

 

Within the UK, all Edwina’s Friends bears are posted by Royal Mail Next Day Special Delivery which is tracked for peace of mind. There are 3 different price bands, Large, Medium and Small. You’ll find which category your chosen bear falls under on the page with its photo and description. (If ordering more than one bear, I’ll do my best to reduce postal costs without compromising secure delivery).

 

Large = £20

Med/large = £12

Medium = £8.50

Small = £6.00

 

Overseas customers – I am happy to ship outside the UK. Just let me know which bear you are interested in and I’ll let you know how much P&P will cost for your part of the world. I regret I am only able to accept credit card via Paypal payments from overseas customers.

 

Buy with confidence!

 

All Edwina’s Friends items come with a no-quibbles, money-back guarantee. If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, simply return it to me (in perfect condition if new and in the condition in which it was despatched if vintage), within 7 days. On receipt, I will refund the purchase price (excluding post and packing).