My Boyds Collection
By Elizabeth Skelton
My collection began in January 1995 when I
bought my first two plushes, Eugenia and Federico from QVC. (I had seen Gary before but
not realizing how the system worked, I never dialed fast enough to get anything). Before
my order arrived, I happened to be in a card store that had some Boyds Bearstones. I
didn’t know about Bearstones and I loved them immediately! Since I am a teacher, I
was especially attracted to the bears reading books so I chose Ted and Teddy and
Wilson the Perfesser.
By the
time I got home and set them on my bureau, I knew I was hooked and had to go back to
get the others! I returned to the store and bought Christian by the Sea, Bailey in the
Orchard, and Neville Bedtime Bear. The store didn’t have any more pieces because it
had been sold to a new owner and Bearstones were not part of their inventory. So I went on
bear hunts all over the San Francisco Bay Area. I didn’t have internet access at the
time so I had no idea that there were so many collectors out there all doing the same
thing as me! I’d come home with some and quietly place them on the bureau so DH
wouldn’t notice that the collection was growing and taking up more room in our very
small bedroom (we live in the downstairs of a townhouse). Sometimes I would only
show him a couple of my purchases when in fact I had bought several. Before long
plushes were sitting on chairs on the floor around the perimeter of the room and the
resins were crowded together. He soon got used to it (never having been fooled), referred
to the collection as "hard and soft bears" and jokingly said "he never
expected his bedroom to have a teddy bear theme" but added "it’s
alright."
I usually put away the nativity pageant series due to lack of space but this year since it
is complete, I wanted to leave it out for a while longer. I have placed angel Bearstones
and other thematically related ones with it.
This past Christmas (1997) while I was out of town for a weekend,
my husband surprised me by building the shelves for the plush which go around the room. He
made the resin shelving unit for me earlier last year.
I focus my collection on Bearstones, plush, Shoebox and San Francisco Music
Box pieces. I also collect accessories although many of the chairs pictured are not Boyds.
I have some first editions but most are not. Someday we will have a larger place to live
and I’ll be better able to display the bears and friends all over the house!
Seated in Bailey's Baby Carriage, are the Pair O'Piggs that I won in a recent Centre
Contest. (click on photo)
click on photo to meet Elizabeth
Something's always cooking at the Boyds
Cafe!
Send E-mail to contestlady@webspresso.com
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