A RARE teddy bear could make the top ten of the most expensive sold when it is auctioned in the region.

The bear, by German company Steiff, which made the first examples of the toy, was one of only a handful manufactured in 1919.

Normally, teddy bears were made from mohair, but due to shortages caused by the First World War, companies had to find other materials.

Steiff made a few from a hessian-like fabric before reverting to mohair, and of these, fewer still had a centre seam resulting from two pieces of material being joined together.

Now, one of these bears has come into the possession of Vectis, a toy auction house in Thornaby, Teesside.

Teddy bear expert Joanne McDonald, who works as a valuer for Vectis, believes it could fetch a record sum when it is auctioned on Thursday.

She said: "It's likely to go for £10,000-plus and it could go for a world record price. It will probably be a record for Vectis.

"The world record is £140,000 for a Steiff bear modelled by Louis Vuitton, and it could end up in the top ten."