Tag: Susan Kilgore Wiley

The Susan Kilgore Wiley Collection Part 1 auction will take place on January 21, 2023 and will be sold by Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH of Ladenburg, Germany. This breathtaking estate collection of vintage to antique Teddy bears, animals, and dolls made by leading manufacturers Steiff, Schuco, and Bing was lovingly curated over three decades. It includes many museum-quality rarities and one-of-a-kind items. Part 2 of this sale will also be managed by Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion in July of 2023. Auction Daily had the opportunity to speak with Mrs. Wiley’s son and daughter about her legacy, collecting priorities, and meticulous record keeping, and their family’s upcoming sales.Mrs. Susan Kilgore Wiley visiting the Steiff Museum in Giengen, Germany in the late 1980s/ early 1990s. Image of Mrs. Wiley from the Wiley family archives.Auction Daily: The first half of your Mother’s collection of vintage to antique toys will be sold later this month at auction. Please give our readers a brief overview of the collection.Wiley Family: Mom’s collection grew to include 2,000+ Steiff items dating from the turn of last century through around 2020. She also had great interest in antique Schuco and Bing toys– especially unusually colored, wind up, or clockwork pieces. Bears, rabbits, and novelty items from the 1920s were her favorite categories. She displayed all of these fantastic toys in playful ways throughout her Raleigh, NC home. She would put more common, contemporary items next to extreme rarities if she felt they had presentation “chemistry.” What was really important to her were their personalities and the joy they brought her and others who visited her home or shared her passion.Mom also had a great eye and had many Steiff one-of-a-kind or absolute rarities in her collection. These included novelty bears on wheels; a fully jointed, tail moves head Circus bear; an uncatalogued,