Need to know if this teddy bear is old ASAP!

by Chris
(Austin, TX)

I bought this untagged bear on eBay to make a Halloween costume for my dog, but after receiving it, I became concerned it might be old. The ad didn’t provide any information.

Length: 20”-21”
Body: Fully jointed with a humpback; seams on front, back, and face
Stuffing: heavy and stiff but not crinkly
Eyes: two-toned, appear to be glass
Nose: vertical brown stitches
Paws: Feel like suede
Fur: not sure, when burned, smells weird, doesn’t burn steadily, reduced to a small black bead that crumbled to ash; fur is stitched to a tan-orange netting
No labels, but there is a long grayish string behind the left ear where a tag may have been attached

Any help dating or identifying this bear would be appreciated. I only have a few days to decide whether the bear lives or dies!