17in tall This lot features two jointed teddy bears handcrafted by Merrythought in Ironbridge, Shropshire, England. The first bear, titled Jeremy, was designed exclusively for Merrythought by artist and author John Axe. It is constructed from golden-tan mohair and features fixed dark bead-style eyes. Jeremy wears his original maroon silk-style necktie, which is printed with the bear's name and the designer's signature above a wishbone symbol. A yellow woven label is stitched to the right foot pad reading MERRYTHOUGHT IRONBRIDGESHROPS. MADE IN ENGLAND. A white fabric tag in the rear seam identifies this bear as number 00109 of a limited edition of 2,500. The original card stock hang-tag is attached, providing provenance and biographical information about the designer. The second bear is a limited edition mohair bear featuring long-pile olive-gold mohair and fixed amber glass-style eyes with black pupils. The paws and feet are finished with black hand-stitched claw details. It retains the standard yellow Merrythought woven label on the right foot pad. A white fabric tag in the side seam identifies this bear as number 00816 of a limited edition of 1,000. A separate white fabric tag indicates compliance with BS 5665 standards and provides cleaning instructions. Both bears are fully jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips.