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Teddy
Bear 100th Birthday Gold Coins Available
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To commemorate
the 100th birthday of the first teddy bear, proof Ten Dollar face
value coins, containing 1/10 oz. of pure gold, have been issued. While
they are dated 2002, they were not released until April, 2003. The
delightful design by award-winning artist Alex Shagin, shows a teddy
bear wearing a party hat and holding a birthday cake. These are made
in the USA as authorized by the Republic of Liberia.
The Teddy Bear anniversary gold coin is available for collectors at
the official issue price of $69 from the exclusive distributor PandaAmerica,
3460 Torrance Blvd., Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90503. The coin is also
available as a pendant, mounted in a 14kt gold diamond cut bezel,
for $109. Credit card orders can be placed by calling (800) 4-PANDAS
or e-mailing info@pandamerica.com. Add $5.50 per order for shipping
and handling.
The teddy bear got its start with a cartoon that showed President
Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a baby bear (while hunting in
Mississippi). The cartoon, drawn by Clifford Berryman, appeared in
The Washington Post on November 16, 1902. It inspired Morris and Rose
Michtom of Brooklyn, New York, to make a bear in honor of the president's
actions. The Michtoms named their bear "Teddy's Bear" and
placed it in the window of their candy and stationery store. The demand
was so strong that the Michtoms founded the first teddy bear manufacturer
in the United States, the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.
Prepared
by Mel Wacks
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