Bear Rug and Head Mount

[PlaysInTheDirt]

Hey Everybody,
Can anybody help with a estimated value of a bear rug and head mount. It is likely close to a hundred years old and has come down through the family on my Dad's grandmother's side I believe. They used to go to Canada yearly to a family bear camp way back when. I've seen pic of a dozen or more skins tacked on a barn wall from their trips. They would butcher, render, etc. before going back to their homes, in this case Clinton County.

I was the last in the line who expressed an interest in the rug/mount to I was given it when my Great Grandmother passed back in the early 80's. No one in my family seems interested in it and I have heard other people give numbers for what they are worth but I don't know where to start for a definitive number. Not a huge specimen but the front claws measure 3-4" in length, brown bear/grizzly?

Just looking for your thoughts and suggestions on value or where to go to find out.
No pics at the moment...it's in storage up at my parents place.

Thanks,
PlaysInTheDirt

 

[amboy49]

Are you selling ? Wanting to know for insurance purposes ?

 

[PlaysInTheDirt]

Possibly selling...I have heard a range of numbers and my Mom's research has involved some really high numbers. Think Freedom Arms high numbers. I am just wanting to come up with something a little more solid as there are things I might want to purchase sooner than later.

 

[Frosty]

Probably a black bear, they come in a variety of colors, I’m no help on value.
Edit: a quick DuckDuckGo is showing a typical asking price around $1500.

 

[snapping turtle]

like everything else is going to depend on condition size demand and in this case smell. To the right buyer it might be perfect.

Decades old fur rugs can breakdown and ten decades of being on a floor in front of say a fireplace can and will have effect on price.

Wife has a few nice fox and mink coats. I should have purchased guns with the money. Fur has lost fashion edge over time. Limited demand lower price high cleaning costs.

Putting it up for sale here might be a very good option. I remember buying and always looking at a two table gun show booth with deer hide over the tables and some long guns displayed on a rack with deer hoof pegs holding the guns. He also at times had tanned furs and a few collectors traps on the table. I always spent extra time around his tables. A bear rug table covering at a gun show would draw in some looker for sure.