Rock and Roll With Steiff: Auction Highlights 4/20-4/26/09

Thankfully, it's the first really nice spring weekend in these parts. After our unusually bitter and snowy winter, these warm temperatures make everyone feel like dancing! Or in my case, "rock and rolling"... with Steiff, of course! To celebrate this new-found "spring in my step", this week's auction highlights column focuses on finds that "rock" or "roll".

When I saw this first item, Musical Charly, up for auction, I really wanted to bust a move. This brown and white standing King Charles spaniel is 25 cm, has a jointed head with glass pupil eyes, and is made from long curly mohair. But besides her "best in show" looks, what makes her so special is her music box feature which is activated by gently pressing and releasing her torso. It is really unusual to find a Charly, even more so with a still-functional music box. This model was in production from 1928 -1931 and was also available in 17 and 22 cm. According to the description and photos associated with the auction, she is in very good condition and retains her ff Steiff button and some of her red ear tag. She received 14 bids and sold for $565.84.

According to the Cieslik's wonderful "Button In Ear" book, Steiff's "Music - Animals" of 1928 were introduced for "cuddling and snuggling - up - to before falling asleep". About 20 musical items, including a clown, Fluffy the cat, several dogs (including this Charly), a Teddy bear, and a lamb were produced in this series. Some were squeeze activated, others produced music by rotating their tails. All models had a label attached to their bellies with instructions on how to activate the music box. Overall sales of these items were minimal and they were all discontinued in 1930 - 1931; Steiff did not bring back musical items to the line until the 1950's.

This second highlight is a great encore to Musical Charly. She is none other than Musical Molly, one of the "Music -Animals" noted above. What serendipity to have two of these treasures appear at auction at the same week! Musical Molly is 25 cm, made from brown and white long mohair, is head jointed, and has glass pupil eyes. Her ears are lined in light pink velvet. Like her sister Charly, Molly also has a squeeze - release music box; hers is located in her rump while Charly's is in her torso.

Musical Molly was in production from 1928 -1931 and was only available in 22 cm. Only 328 pieces were produced - now that's what I'd call a limited edition! According to the description and photos associated with the auction, she is in good condition but does not have any Steiff IDs. Remarkably, she received only one bid and sold for $149.99.

Now onto the "roll" portion of this "rock and roll" column. This final Steiff auction highlight is Terry, the Airedale Terrier on wheels. Terry is 28 cm, unjointed, made from light brown and black airbrushed mohair, and sports a red leather collar. He is on blue wooden wheels. Terry was produced from 1950 through 1961 in four sizes: 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm. According to the description and photos associated with the auction, he is in very good condition and has his yellow ear tag and Steiff button. Terry received 22 bids and sold for $332.61.


Airedale Terriers are legacy products in the Steiff catalog. The first Airedale appeared in 1927, ironically as a dog on wheels! Today's Steiff catalog features Fellow, an Airedale Terrier who made his debut in 1935. Now that's a long time to be on the best seller list - even in dog years!

I hope this week's highlights make you want to put on your dancing shoes and rock on with Steiff!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Special Edition... Stump The (Steiff) Chump!

Everyone loves a good challenge and boy did I meet my match with this Steiff surprise. A friend sent along a gift with the sole intention of presenting me with a Steiff item I'd never seen before. Did they succeed and "stump the chump?" Take a look here to find out...



The airline Lufthansa supports many environmental causes. This project with Steiff is designed to draw attention to the dangers of rain forest deforestation by highlighting an animal directly affected by this situation – the tarsier. This delightful soft plush Steiff tarsier is 16 cm , has suede-like ears, detailed hands and feet, jumbo pupil eyes, and holds a green felt bamboo shoot. About 15% of the purchase price of the Steiff tarsier is donated by Lufthansa to the “Rainforestation Farming” project run by the German not for profit NatureLife-International.

So just what is this most adorable and endangered primate? The tarsier is a small (15-20 cm) mammal with an impressive tail (an additional 20-25 cm), and a face only a mother could love. This little buddy has many unusual features. Check out those peepers…his eyeballs are 16 mm in diameter and each one is as large as his entire brain! In addition, he can rotate his heads 180 degrees in each direction…so just about everything is in his sight line! Most of his fingers and toes have nails for climbing, but the second and third digits of his hind feet are clawed; these are used for grooming.

Tarsiers primarily live in the rain forests of Indonesia and in the Philippines. They are nocturnal and live on a diet of insects, which they catch by jumping at them. They are also known to prey on small birds, snakes, lizards, and bats. Tarsiers give birth to one offspring at a time. Babies are born furred, and with open eyes, and are able to climb within a day of birth.

Betcha I wasn't the only one stumped... and charmed... were you?

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Shuffling Off to Buffalo

It’s really unusual, and quite lucky, to find an old buffalo nickel. It’s the same with Steiff buffalos, too! Take a look here to add a little something special to your Steiff day….



This handsome fellow is an elegantly designed 17 cm unjointed mohair bison. His pattern, produced as a United States exclusive in 1960, also came in 12 and 30 cm. As far as I can tell, he was the first Steiff buffalo to appear in the company’s catalog. A few years later, in 1962 and 1963, this identical design was produced in the same three sizes for worldwide distribution. (Bison with “90” as the last digits of their ear tag article numbers are from 1960; while those from 1962 and 1963 sport “00” as their last digits.)

One of the things that makes this piece so interesting is his mohair and construction. Mostly made from long, shaggy tipped mohair, he is selectively shorn around his legs and backside; this “tail end” is then airbrushed to give him his characteristic body shape and varying textures. He is also detailed with glass pupil eyes and pert felt horns. Many hours went into this piece to give him the realistic touches that truly bring him to life.

Although the Steiff catalog boasts of practically every land, sea, and air creature you can imagine, one of the least represented are buffalos. It took close to 70 years from the publication of the first catalog in 1892 for buffalos to make it into the product line. Only eight models of the species are documented in the Steiff Sortiment reference books.

Although technically not an “endangered species”, buffalo - both of the live and Steiff ilk- are rare creatures to be cared for, admired, and of course, celebrated!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Getting a Leg Up: Auction Highlights 4/13-4/19/09

Shake a leg and take a look at this week's auction highlights. These three beauties are my star picks of the week and share something special in common... they all have very noteworthy lower limbs!

Long limbed lovely #1:
This unusual item is Lulac Donkey, who was only produced in 1954 as a United States exclusive. This fantastic farm friend is 35 cm, made of grey mohair, has an open felt-lined mouth, and really long, dangling limbs and tail. According to the description and photos associated with the auction, he is in very good to excellent condition and retains some of his yellow ear tag and his Steiff button. He received 11 bids and sold for $371.99

Steiff debuted the "lulac" body style in 1951 in the form of a rabbit. This donkey followed shortly after, and is one of the earliest manifestations of this design. In addition to this donkey, Steiff produced several additional lulac animals as United States exclusives in the late 1950's including an elephant, tiger, poodle, and lion; these were most likely available through high end toy stores like FAO Schwarz. Steiff fans almost universally look up to these rare "tall drinks of water" as "must haves" for their collection.

Long legged lovely #2:
It's hard not to fawn over this precious baby. This darling deer appeared in the Steiff catalog from 1954 through 1955 only. She is 14 cm, unjointed, made from airbrushed mohair, and has a really endearing, relaxed body position. This same model was also available in a 17 cm size. According to the description and photos associated with the auction, she is in very good to excellent condition and has her chest tag; it is unclear if she has her ear tag or button. She received 6 bids and sold for the bargain hammer price of $54.74.

It is interesting to note that this fawn has a single white horizontal stitch across her nose as a highlight. Collectors might recognize this detail which is an important design feature of Steiff's famous "Jackie" Teddy bear design, which debuted just a year earlier in 1953.

(Not so long) legged lovely #3:
Doggonit, this one's got legs, and she knows how to use them! Making her SteiffLife, and possibly worldwide debut, is this very distinctive poodle. This "best of show" candidate is 28 cm tall, five ways jointed, made from thick black mohair, and has a really unusual open pink felt mouth with a red felt tongue. Her legs are bent in a squatting or begging position. She has all of her ID's: a chest tag, raised script Steiff button, and her ear tag with article number 4328. According to the description and photos associated with the auction, she is in excellent condition and has her chest tag, raised script button, and ear tag with article number 4328. She received 23 bids and sold for a whopping $433.00.

Why? As far as I can tell, she is not currently documented in any of the Steiff Sortiment reference books. I have looked high and low for any information on her but have come up empty pawed. Steiff items that appear "out of the blue" without history or documentation are extremely desirable to collectors. She may be one of those really rare pieces that somehow was not cataloged; perhaps she is a sample of an item that was never produced; or maybe she was a one of a kind item made as a gift and never meant for wide scale production and distribution. We'll never know for sure, but what we do know is that whoever got her is certainly one lucky dog!

I've run out of leg room for the column; so long until next week. Oh, and to all the runners in tomorrow's Boston Marathon, welcome to New England... and by all means, break a leg!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Confessions of a "Jocko-holic"

No monkeyshines!

Today's blog entry has a bonus... video! Take a look here to watch the "unboxing" of my newest and favorite (at least for the moment) Steiff collectible...




This precious primate is none other than Jocko, a wonderful 25 cm fully jointed mohair chimpanzee. He is in pristine condition - perfect dense mohair; unblemished felt face, hands, and feet; and airbrushing as fresh as if he were manufactured today.

King Jocko (we held the coronation in private, that's why you didn't see it on CNN) has his Steiff "ff" button which puts him at a birth year between 1909-1943. I looked closely for an ear flag remnant to give a better approximation of his production decade, but could not find any white (which would date him from 1909-1926), red (from 1926-1934), or yellow (from 1934-1943) fibers under his button to help with this dating.

This Jocko stands out in several ways. First, his mohair is unlike any I have ever seen, a very intense, lush brown - like dark chocolate or roasted coffee beans. My other Jockos are white (or really grey-ish, that happens over time) or milk chocolate in color. Also unusual is his assembly; he has a slightly-to-the-left seam up his back shaped like the letter "J". No other Jocko in my troop has this construction. Finally, his body is rather "V" shaped; broad shoulders tapering down to smallish hips. My other Jockos have "H" shaped trunks from top to bottom.

Chimpanzees are legacy animals for Steiff and appeared in their first catalog of 1892. In 1903, a large, primitive looking string jointed monkey (PB 60) was introduced to the world. A few years later, in 1909, Steiff redesigned their monkey pattern towards a more lifelike appearance. This new chimp design featured detailed felt hands, feet, and facial features, including eye pockets and a white mohair chin in the medium and larger sized versions. The updated pattern was produced in 15 sizes, ranging from 10 to 90 cm, at various times from 1909-1943, and then again from 1949-1990. The chimpanzee received his "official" Steiff name, Jocko, in 1929.

The traditional 80th anniversary gift is that of diamonds and pearls. So appropriate here to top the crown of my new King Jocko!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

A Tiny Post For A Tiny Teddy

Arr! Welcome Steiff maties!

I had no waggoner to guide me to her, but check out this little Teddy-gal I found perched like a parrot on a bookshelf in my colleague's office today!

Teddy is 10 cm, five ways jointed, and retains almost all of her dark golden mohair. Although her IDs have been loved away over time, she is clearly a Steiff, with her big "toddler" feet, disk jointing, and distinctive Steiff nose and mouth stitching. (Traditionally, Steiff put horizontally stitched noses on feminine items, and vertical stitched ones on masculine ones.) Unfortunately, she lost an eye over time; I made her a Pirate's eye patch to give her "a new look on life."

According to my colleague, who we'll call "SueBear", this Teddy was given to her aunt and mother when they were little girls in the early 1950's. Steiff started making really tiny jointed mohair Teddies in 1909, and these popular and beloved "pocket treasures" have remained in the catalog in one form or another to this day.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

More Than Meets The Eye: Auction Highlights 4/6-4/12/09

Choosing auction highlights is a little like going to an ice cream parlor and picking out two or three flavors for a multi-scoop indulgence-- so many yummy options, its hard to choose. In the end, the most delicious looking goodies get the thumbs up.

This week, there were several temptations for the column but two items really stood out. They couldn't be more different - material, design, decades produced, and hammer price - but they share two characteristics. First, I had never seen either one available at auction, and I have been monitoring Steiff online for a decade. Second, they both have fascinating, little known histories behind them. Let's take a look at these two special treats...

This super rare "sherbet sweetie" is Molliette, a design that Steiff produced from 1927 through 1932. She has the original "Molly" mohair puppy head; long, soft unjointed dangling limbs; and mohair hands and paws. Her body, arms, and legs are made from lilac colored velvet. She has glass pupil eyes and an embroidered nose and mouth; her lips are accented in red. This Molliette is 20 cm and retains her original ribbon, rare red ear flag, and Steiff "ff" button. Given her age, she appears to be in very good to excellent condition according to the copy and photos accompanying the auction. Molliette received an impressive 17 bids and sold for a whopping $807.

Molliette is one of a series of long limbed lovelies in the Steiff catalog from 1927-1932. These "play and car dolls" included Bulliette, the bulldog, Fluffiette, the cat, Rabbiette, the rabbit, and Cherrioette, the open mouthed puppy. Each had the head of the character, mohair paws and feet, and dangling velvet limbs. Most were available in several colors and in 20, 30, and 43 cm, with the larger sizes having a squeaker. It has been suggested that the design of this series was based on a similar line from the Chad Valley Toy Company of England called "Tango Toys." Steiff modified the design to fit their characters and manufacturing processes, and named the line "Charleston Animals", based on the Charleston dance crazy of the 1920’s, with its fast moving arm and leg movements.

I would give an arm and a leg to have a Molliette, or any of the "Charleston Animals" in my collection!

It's time to get down and dirty with the other highlight of the week, a hand puppet called "Blacky". Blacky the Chimney Sweep is 17 cm. His head is molded PVC with painted features and blonde mohair hair; his body is made from coal-black mohair. Blacky's hands and top hat are made from felt; he carries a traditional ladder and wears a leather belt. Blacky is one of the Steiff "one-derfuls"; produced for one year only; in this case, 1964. Blacky retains his original chest tag but does not seem to have his button and tag, which would have been located on the front lower left hand side of his body. He appears to be in good to very good condition according to the copy and photos accompanying the auction. Blacky received 8 bids and sold for a steal at $46.89.

Many Americans are unfamiliar with Chimney Sweeps, but they have a rich legacy in Europe. Sweeps are harbingers of luck, especially for brides on their wedding day. The hearth was an important part of Victorian life; superstition was that a bride had to kiss a sweep on her wedding day to in order to have successful marriage. In addition, pigs and sweeps are linked as good luck charms. It was customary for a sweep to carry a pig through the streets on New Year's Day; people paid to make a wish while pulling a hair from the pig. Finally, why do sweeps traditionally wear top hats and tails? Long ago, sweeps got their clothing as hand-me-downs from funeral directors. The outfit gave an air of distinction to a messy, though necessary, job.

Steiff has examples of "good luck" sweeps in their catalog starting with a 15 cm felt sweep produced from 1936-1943. Others include a Macky hedgehog sweep and a sweep designed to hang from your car's rear view mirror. And to light a fire around the new millennium, Steiff gave each of its employees a 10 cm mohair Teddy dressed as a sweep to ring in 2000.

Tracking auctions is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. I hope this week's overview has given you some insight and flavor into the tasty background behind these Steiff rarities.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Not Your Father's Easter Bunnies

It's Easter time and naturally your thoughts drift towards... chocolate. Hey Steiff people, let's try that again. It's Easter time and naturally your thoughts drift towards BUNNIES!!! Steiff bunnies, that is. Rabbits are a really popular Steiff species, so much so that they have their very own chapter in each of the Steiff Sortiment books. Not even elephants or monkeys can make that claim. First cataloged in 1892, rabbits have since been produced in every size, position, and material imaginable. Let's take a look at an unusual herd of rabbits that live in my warren.

The "Runny" Bunny
This athletic looking hare is none other than "Joggi Rabbit". He is 55 cm, unjointed, made from woven fur, and has an open felt mouth with rabbit buck teeth and black whiskers. He has really long floppy arms and legs in the typical "lulac" style. Dressed for action, he is attired in an orange vest and blue sweat pants with an orange stripe up the side. Produced from 1981-1985, he truly does have that "big 80's" look to him. Could that "v" neckline be any lower? Or chest fur more prominent? All he's missing is a gold chain or two. Joggi was purchased at auction.

The "Punny" Bunny
Like a good pun, the more ways you noodle with it, the more interesting it becomes. So it is with this next adroit hare, better known as the "Changable Rabbit". This 17 cm bunny has really flexible back leg jointing, which allows her to be put into running, sitting, or upright positions. Her head is jointed but her arms are not. She is made from tan mohair and was produced from 1957-1970. She also came in a larger 25 cm size. If Joggi is the marathoner, Changable is the gymnast. Changable rabbit was purchased at auction.

Finally, The "Money" Bunny
Around here, things are referred to as "money" if they are dependable, good to have, and a solid asset- like a faithful friend, a Honda, a meatloaf in the fridge, or in this case, this rabbit. (But not my 401K, but that's a different story.) This wonderful 18 cm sitting "money" bunny is made from maize colored mohair, has a swivel head, and retains her original red silk ribbon. She has glass pupil eyes and a red floss nose and mouth. Her ears are lined in pink felt.

This model, also available in 15 cm, was only in produced in 1949. She has a very unique combination of IDs: a US Zone tag and a blank steel button. The post-war blank button first appeared 1947 and was used for just a handful of years. Sometimes the blank button was painted blue, but not in this case. Money bunny was purchased at a local antique mall; I was so excited when I discovered her and her rare credentials that I actually started dancing in the store aisle!

Thanks for letting me bend your ear about these unconventional Steiff rabbits. So hop to it and have a very Happy Easter!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Steiff Triple Play: Auction Highlights 3/30-4/5/09

Our "boys of summer" kick off their season tomorrow, so of course baseball is on everyone's mind around here. The national pastime has several things associated with threes, including strikes and bases, to name a few. So does this week's installment of auction highlights... three marvelous items each produced during or before the third decade of last century.

So let's play ball!

Batting first...
Here we have a wonderful 17cm white and gold sitting mohair "Bully" with a distinctive horsehair collar. This model, which came in sizes ranging from 10 to 50 cm, was produced from 1927 through 1931. Bully was a popular character at the time; Steiff produced him on wheels, with a tail-turns-head mechanism, as a pincushion, with a music box, and as a handbag, among other designs. He was also produced in velvet and a variety of different colors, including blue. This Bully retains his original bell and Steiff "ff" button, and appears to be in excellent condition according to the copy and photos associated with the auction. Bully received 19 bids and sold for $1,826.

Batting second...
Rabbits have always been prominent in the Steiff catalog, perhaps because Easter is a very important holiday in Germany. This darling harbinger of spring is 11 cm, made of tan mohair (probably white or maize originally, but mohair can fade), and has brown glass pupil eyes, a pink floss nose outlined in red, and a red stitched mouth. Like most rabbits, this one is associated with many siblings; her model (produced from 1926-1932) was made in four sizes (11, 15, 18, and 23 cm) and seven seasonal colors (brown, pink, blue, lilac, gold/white, white, and maize). This bunny retains her "ff" button and appears to be in very good to excellent condition according to the copy and photos associated with the auction. This collectible received 13 bids and sold for $202.49.

Batting third....
...is a remarkable and seldom seen collectible. This is the 35 cm felt Dachau Farmer, a five ways jointed doll Steiff produced from 1908 through 1928. (As a side note, this particular Dachau farmer design was also produced as a 29 cm roly-poly from 1909-1917.)

Steiff produced many felt figures from the early 1900's through the 1930's. These models were more reflective of occupations and culture (shepherds, stone cutters, tailors, butchers, shoemakers, soldiers, students, etc.) than playful designs for children. Steiff made at least eight distinct farmers from different geographic areas, indicating how important this profession was at the turn of last century.

This farmer is fully attired in a felt suit and has handmade leather boots and a dapper chapeau. One really interesting thing about this item is the button detailing on his shirt... a series of Steiff "ff" buttons! (See closeup photo to the left.) I have seen Steiff buttons as detailing on shoes, collars, and belts, but never on shirts. The farmer has his "ff" button in ear. Considering his age and how fragile felt can be, he appears to be in excellent condition according to the copy and photos associated with the auction. This rarity received 18 bids and sold for $1,361.96.

Cleaning up...
So here's to a grand-slam, ffantasic week of "ff" Steiff auction highlights and to a home-run of a collecting, (and baseball), season ahead.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Office Mates

A popular commercial for Capital One credit cards asks "What's in your wallet"? For most of us living through these tough economic times, the answer is "not much..."! A more interesting question might be "What's in your office"? Thankfully, I do still have my job, and an office which I decorate with Steiff favorites. Come take a peek at some of my "office mates".

Most dogs like to rest on a rug and these vintage canines are no different. The rug is my mouse pad, and the three dogs are (right to left) a 10 cm mohair "Arco" German Shepherd (produced from 1957-1961); a 12 cm wool plush Chow (produced from 1951-1959); and a well loved 10 cm mohair "mystery mutt" with Steiff qualities (glass pupil eyes, embroidered nose, evidence of airbrushing, excelsior stuffed). The rug was a trade show give-away, Chow was an auction win, and Arco and Mystery Mutt were purchased together on a delightful day of antiquing with friends.

Also keeping me honest at work are two Jocko monkeys and an unusual Teddy bear handbag who live on my desk to the left of my monitor. The 25 cm mother (produced from 1949-1981) and 10 cm baby (produced from 1949-1964) Jockos are both brown mohair and five ways jointed. I've always felt that most Jockos have a masculine look to them, but this larger Jocko has a distinct softness; I call her "Pretty Jocko" and am certain she is a girl. Both Jockos were purchased at auction. The 23 cm Teddy evening bag is a limited edition from the 2008 "Steiff Sommer" festival and is stuffed with excelsior. More for looks than functional, the zippered opening on her back is large enough for a pack of chewing gum and change for a telephone call (as your cell wouldn't fit in the Teddy's purse-pouch). Perfectly proportioned for a baroness or other royalty.

The top of my filing cabinet is adorned with Steiff collectibles. Right to left, I have a 50 cm woven fur Zotty bear (produced from 1979-1985); a 50 cm mohair Studio Hexie Dachshund (produced in 1960 only) who is giving a ride to a 37 cm "Niki the Rat" (produced in 1997 only) caricatured race car driver in a red logo'ed jumper; and a 50 cm mohair Rudi bear (produced in 2007 only). Rudi has long wired arms and legs, giving him the ability to do yoga or pose in funny ways. Zotty was purchased sight unseen and when he arrived, he had an unadvertised bonus... his foot was signed by Hans Otto Steiff! BINGO! Hexie and Niki were purchased at auction, while Rudi was a generous gift from a dear friend. The background poster is that of a 1930's Dicky Teddy doling out sweets behind the counter of a turn of the century apothecary.

So what is this jelly-bean colored oddity, and why has she taken over my office chair? Excellent questions. This is "Mini Hare", a character from the popular German kid's book, "Laura's Star". In the book, this bunny is the companion of the child heroine, Laura, and fits into her pocket. This particular Mini Hare is unjointed and quite floppy, about 2 feet tall (or 3 feet tall if you count her ears), made from soft multicolored velvet, and has embroidered nose and eye features. What is most remarkable about her is her enormous Steiff button and tag in her ear. Better proportioned for a life sized elephant or giraffe, these IDs lead me to believe that this rabbit could be considered a Studio piece. Mini Hare was purchased at an Steiff collector's event.

Imagine my colleague's surprise when an almost life sized baby donkey was delivered to the office mail room. Really. This 60 cm grey dralon open-mouthed "beast of burden" is hard at work as the unofficial mascot of my department. (Ok, insert off color jokes here.) Produced from 1960-1980, this jumbo unjoined "Grissy" donkey never fails to bring a welcomed chuckle to my stressed-out associates. Grissy was purchased at auction a few months ago.

And that's the tail end of the tour, I promise.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.