A CUDDLY toy which was saved from a rubbish tip by an eagle-eyed waste collector has been identified as a vintage and very rare Mickey Mouse collector’s item.

The toy was discovered in a container destined for the tip at Five Lanes Recycling Centre in Caerwent near Caldicot, and later found to be one made by one of the UK’s oldest teddy bear manufacturers, the Deans toy factory in Pontypool.

The find by Nigel Jenkins of Monmouthshire County Council’s waste and recycling contractor, Suez, was sent to MonLife Museum’s team to try and identify it.

And intensive research tracked it down to the Deans toy factory, which dated back to the 1700s and was the first manufacturer to make the Disney character in the UK in the 1930s before falling into administration in 2005.

An almost identical example of the toy – the earliest version of Mickey, as he appeared in his debut 1928 film Steamboat Willie - is held in the collections of the V&A Museum in London.

After discovering the historical importance of the toy, Rachael Rogers, curator of Abergavenny Museum suggested that Mickey’s forever home might best be Pontypool Museum, which is less than a mile from the old Dean’s factory where it was made all those years ago.

Speaking about the extraordinary find, cabinet member for neighbourhood services, Councillor Jane Pratt, said: “I think it’s wonderful that Mickey has, after his very long life, been saved from the rubbish!

“I am so pleased that he is being donated to Pontypool Museum near to where he was made at Deans Rag Book Company.

“I hope that the publicity he creates will encourage people to think carefully before they throw things away. I am delighted that he will be viewed by generations to come in his new home.”

She added: “Our Reuse shops at Llanfoist and Five Lanes have gone from strength to strength, with fantastic support from the staff at these recycling centres who spot lovely things, as well as the dedicated team of enthusiastic volunteers.

“It is not every day you find something as special as Mickey, but you would be amazed at what great things get saved that would have simply been thrown away.”

Pontypool Museum Curator, Caitlin Gingell, said: “The curatorial staff are very pleased to be acquiring Mickey into the collections at Torfaen Museum.

“Dean’s toy factory, where Mickey was made, has been an important strand of Pontypool’s history and it is lovely to be bringing him back to his hometown.

“We hope that Mickey can go to a professional conservator in the near future, to be cleaned and structurally supported before going on display as part of a small exhibition about the toy manufacturer.”

Meanwhile, bargain hunters and antique enthusiasts alike will be able to head to Monmouthshire County Council’s Llanfoist and Five Lanes Reuse shops from mid-March.

Buying reused items is a great way to help the environment and reduce waste, said a council spokesperson.

All profits from the reuse sites go to tree planting in Monmouthshire to help fight climate change.

Five Lanes Reuse Shop will be open every Wednesday from 10am-3pm from March 16.

Llanfoist Reuse shop will reopen every Tuesday from 10am to 3pm from March 
15.