Teddy Bear Lapel Pin

 A beautiful child’s teddy bear once owned by Hans Butzke inspired this lapel pin. Hans used this Steiff teddy bear to smuggle valuables out of Vienna. Hans’s mother, Netty, sewed jewelry and possibly pearls inside the bear. She told him not to let anyone take it from him. The bear wears Hans’s baby clothes. 

This two-inch lapel pin with butterfly clasp back is made out of a base metal with full-color enameling.

John “Hans” Butzke  donated the teddy bear to the Museum along with a number of papers. Learn more about Hans and his family.