A RARE plastic model polar bear dating back to the 19th century will be up for grabs at auction next weekend. The bear was the trademark logo of Sennitt's ice-cream company before the company was bought out by Streets in 1961 and most of the bears were destroyed. Sennitt's, which was first established in 1896, successfully used the image of a bear vigorously licking an ice-cream as the plastic models went on to become immortalised out the front of milk bars across Victoria.The owner of the bear, which is one of only 13 known remaining, said it was better for the item to be put on view rather than hidden away."Better to let someone enjoy it than have it fall from the shelf in my shed and be destroyed," he said . Auctioneer Dean Kittelty estimated that the antique bear would fetch between $5000 and $6000, but said he wouldn't be surprised if it went for more."It's in remarkably good condition with only a tiny piece of damage at the back," Mr Kittelty said. "It could make considerably more than that."The auction will be held on January 30 from 10.30am at Kittelty's Auction Rooms in Sebastopol.