Live From The 2015 Steiff Sommer Festival - A Firsthand Report!

You know how travel and airplane magazines feature articles on "the perfect day in..." or "how to spend a few hours at..."?  And it always seems that the recommended plans and itineraries sound too good to be true!  Well, in this case, Steiffgal did indeed spend an "ideal" day at the Steiff Sommer Festival in Giengen, Germany - the birthplace of Steiff and the Teddy bear - on July 4th, 2015.  Check out this travel diary entry and hopefully it might tempt you too to join in the fun next year!

A cosy, clean, and convenient place to stay in Giengen is the Lobinger Hotel in Giengen, which is just about a 20 minute walk or a 3 minute car ride from the Steiff campus.  Here is the "first thing in the morning view" from the fourth floor, where Steiffgal's room was located.  This was taken out of an interesting skylight style window with a mechanical shade.  Steiffgal found both a little confusing to open and close, but got the hang of it after a few minutes of trial and error.

Of course, the perfect day must start with a perfect meal, and the Lobinger's expansive breakfast buffet offered something for everyone.  There were many universal selections, like eggs, toast, juice, and fruit, but also some more distinctly European ones too, like savory cheeses, vegetable salads, and sausages.  Steiffgal particularly got a kick out of the yogurt selections, including some multi-flavored ones that were spotted like cows - these are pictured here on the left.

After breakfast, Steiffgal and pals headed "down the hill" to Steiff to start enjoying all that the festival had to offer.  The entire town seemed to welcomed visitors with "teddy hugs!" There was no charge to enter or enjoy the festival, and it was clear that despite the temperatures (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit!) that collectors and enthusiasts from around the world took advantage of this once a year opportunity to gather and "Live the Steiff Life" in Giengen.  There were many interesting event related attractions set up on the outer skirts of the campus.  Among others, these included: 

1.  Vendor pavilions which were made from white tents.  These sold all sorts of locally produced foods (like honey and jams) and decorative items (like clothing, carved wood accessories, marvelously designed felt items, and jewelry.)  These really added to the authenticity of the event, giving it a delightful community feeling. 

2.  An animal petting zoo, which featured families of rabbits, guinea pigs, and a variety of different birds - including this extremely precious family of little yellow ducks! These sweet friends were well cared for, and well watered, but seemed to feel the heat like everyone that day.  This area, which is set up each year at festival, is always one of Steiffgal's favorite destinations. 

3.  A BMW/Steiff racing team area.  Steiff sponsors several exciting things in Japan, one of them being the BMW racing team.  As such, the Steiff logo is prominently displayed on the driver's uniforms and cars.  This year, Steiff and BMW brought a real racing car to Giengen, and set up a driving simulator that all the attendees could try.  Several members of the Japanese driving team and their supporters made appearances and gave presentations throughout the day.  As part of this delightful "cultural exchange," there was a special tent set up with rare Steiff Japanese exclusives available for purchase.  Steiffgal loved finally seeing the long awaited Godzilla limited edition in person!

Of course, its critical to keep your energy levels high at a special event such as this one.  As such, there were lots of ways to keep your belly full and happy!  This year's festival featured:  

1.  Food, glorious food!  From dawn till dusk, several tents worth of local caterers prepared local delicacies for festival attendees.  Selections included a variety of sausages; salads, flat white pizzas; and of course, several varieties of French fries.  One stand made a very interesting pasta dish... hot buttered noodles that were finished by stirring them around in a bowled out area of a large wheel of Gruyere cheese.  This all but guaranteed that every strand was covered in pure deliciousness. 

2.  Beverages of all sorts.  It is essential to keep hydrated at such a celebration, and beer is the best way to do so by far.  To keep up with demand, this festival featured several outdoor beer vendors and a central "biergarten" area.  When you purchased a beer, you were given a little paper receipt for the glass.  Once you finished the drink, you would drop off the glass at a return center, hand the attendant the paper, and then get your beverage glass deposit back.  Here on the left you can see a photo of Steiffgal's Steiffpal and long time traveling companion Carolyn enjoying a cold one in the best way possible in the Steiff Sommer biergarten.

If you were in search of the perfect souvenir, there were basically three options for both new and vintage enthusiasts.   

1.  For the collectors of all things new, Steiff's festival tent was a great place to be.  Here visitors were treated to countless new Steiff goodies, many at extremely good prices.  Some were seconds, others samples, and others overproduced items.  But all featured their buttons, and of course, Steiff's legendary quality.  The tent itself was huge, fully covered, and featured rolling carts and stations loaded with merchandise.  These areas were replenished throughout the day, so many people literally "camped out" in the tent waiting for the newest items to be presented.  You can see one of these sale carts here on the left. The sales tent also had areas featuring studio animals for sale, as well as very sweet baby items.   Steiffgal purchased several things in the tent, including a few alpaca cats, some key rings, a mohair rabbit, and a mohair ox. 

2.  Adjacent to the sales tent was another smaller tent that sold accessories, clothing, collars, and other materials that could be used for Teddy bear and animal manufacturing and decoration.  These items were for the most part overstocks or excess inventory, and were relatively inexpensive.  There were always alot of people in line to shop here.  These tended to be folks who made their own bears who purchased supplies like embroidery floss, or those who liked to dress their Steiff items who tended buy things like tiny sweaters, boots, or neckerchiefs.  Steiffgal got a number of tiny denim dresses and brown studded leather collars which were made for past Steiff editions at this booth. Here on the left you can see a photo of Steiffgal's fully jointed Dutch Rabbit named Sarah who is wearing one of these Steiff "overstock" frocks.

3.  This festival usually attracts some of the world's finest vintage dealers, and this year was no different.  Dealers were set up in a large dedicated sales tent.  This was a first, as dealers traditionally have been located in areas within Steiff's buildings for past events.  This particular sales tent seemed to be the location where many happy Steiff reunions happened, as old friends - and new - bumped into each other in their quest to find their perfect vintage treasures. 

There were so many breathtaking rarities to see in the 2015 vintage sales area.  A large cinnamon colored Steiff Treff bloodhound, a dressed rabbit doll, and several early Teddy baby bears really caught Steiffgal's eye - but were all far beyond her budget.  Steiffgal purchased several "wish list" items in the vintage area for friends and family, as well as a 1930's era Sealyham on wheels and a 1920's era "swing duck" rattle toy for her own collection.  Above on the left is a photo of Steiffgal in the vintage sales tent holding an absolutely remarkable and extremely unusual Steiff ram in pristine condition that now belongs to a dear colleague of hers. 

A trip through the Steiff Museum is cornerstone to any visit to Giengen - festival related or not.  This wonderful destination was recently remodeled and updated.  There are things for families as well as serious collectors to enjoy.  There is also an enormous snake shaped mohair slide that goes from one floor to another featured in the center of the complex.  Despite her claustrophobia, Steiffgal could not pass up the chance to give the slide a try.  Happily, she survived the 10 second ride!  One highlight of the museum is an enormous glassed in wall display that shows representative products and designs per decade, starting in the late 1800's through today.  It is awe inspiring to see treasures such as the first Steiff doll, a Dolly bear, felt pincushions, and one of a kind samples from the turn of last century. Pictured above on the left is a wonderful presentation of many of our favorite vintage friends from this museum display, including Molliette, Molly, Bully, and Fluffiette.

The "crown jewel" of Steiff's annual Sommer Festival just might be the annual auction, hosted each year with great skill by our friends at the Teddy Dorado auction house.  This auction is traditionally held the Saturday evening of the festival.  This year, bidders could review all the lots on offer and place pre-bids in a special room right next door to the Steiff museum; this preview is pictured here on the left. This room also housed a remarkable Steiff moving display.  It was great fun to see these spectacular auction lot treasures in person.  Did you know that only about 1% of all items presented to Teddy Dorado actually made it into this auction?  And, based on the quality and rarity of the items, it is clear why!

The Teddy Dorado auction started at 6pm at a local community center in Giengen.  The room quickly filled up with bidders from all over the world - and three television cameras to film the event end to end.  Steiffgal was responsible for reading the lot descriptions to the audience in English - a responsibility she takes quite seriously!  Before coming to Germany, she wrote and prepared a script for these announcements, a task that took over 5 hours to do!  But it was time very well spent, as the bidding for many items, including an early and original Mickey Mouse, a pair of felt egg cosies, an uncatalogued baby penguin, and a silk plush Teddy Baby was fierce and competitive!  About three hours later the auction finally came to a close - with only one lot passing!  This is an amazing accomplishment, given that industry auction pass rate close to 20%, at least in America. Steiffgal bid on two lots, losing one by 50 euros and one by 300 euros.  Oh well... the experience was priceless!

Right after the auction, Steiffgal met up with her friends at a local Greek restaurant in Giengen and enjoyed a post event feast of lamb chops, salad, and vegetables. And of course, a cold beer! Mercifully, the temperature had dropped to a "more moderate" 85 degrees by almost sundown.  Here she is pictured to the left with her dear friend Jena Pang, who came to Giengen from London to view the auction and catch up with Teddy friends!  

After refueling, Steiffgal and three other collectors decided to walk back to the Lobinger Hotel to stretch their legs and burn a few calories.  The journey was about 20 minutes, all uphill, and quite refreshing.  Steiff celebrates its annual Sommer event each year by presenting a grand display of fireworks.  It seems the entire town - Steiff lovers and others - gather in the town square to view this marvelous late evening spectacle.  Steiffgal and her exercise companions had the once in a lifetime experience of seeing this show from their walking venue.  This sight and sound extravaganza was one that Steiffgal will never forget.

Steiffgal hopes this little travel diary has convinced you that Steiff's annual Sommer Festival is truly the best day of the year for collectors and enthusiasts for all things "button-in-ear."

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

Steiffgal and Steiffpal's Excellent Giengen Adventure!

Cue the special effects... and the time travel sequence! It's time for Steiffgal and Steiffpal's excellent adventure to Giengen, Germany to the Annual Steiff Sommer Festival!  Well, it's not quite as dramatic as that, but this year, Steiffgal did have quite the adventure getting to Germany to take part in the company's annual event celebrating all things "button-in-ear,"  which this year ran from June 27th through June 29th.  But once she arrived, things were, as collector's say, "just minty!" Here's a travel diary of the highlights - and challenges - associated with this trip to the birthplace of the Teddy bear.

Wednesday, June 25th

Night:  Steiffgal met Steiffpal at Logan Airport around 4:30pm for their 7:00pm flight from Boston to Stuttgart (about an hour's drive from  Giengen.) Over the years, Steiffgal has traveled the world with Steiffpal for Steiff events; this was their third annual trip to Giengen together.  After a yummy early dinner at Durgin Park restaurant in Terminal E, they headed to the gate, and awaited their flight.

The flight boarded late, because of some temperature control issues. Eventually the duo got on board and found their seats, located in the very rear of the plane.  The cabin was about 90 degrees inside.  After a few minutes the captain came on the public address system.  It was impossible to make out his words; he sounded like the teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons - wah wha wha wha; wha, wha wha wha.  What he was saying was that the plane has been hit by a cart and was damaged; the flight was cancelled and all passengers had to evacuate the plane immediately. Once back in the terminal, the airlines announced that the next available flight to Germany was in 3 days and that all passengers were to pick up their luggage at carousel 4 and make alternative travel plans.  Oye veh!

Thursday, June 26th

Morning:  After about 100 texts and phone calls back and forth between Steiffgal, Steiffgal, and the travel agent, the duo were rebooked to Germany, albeit in a somewhat less efficient manner.  They again met at Logan airport, and took a plane to LaGuardia Airport in New York.  

Noon and night:  Steiffgal and Pal took a shuttle across town to JFK Airport, where they waited 6 hours to board a flight to Duesseldorf, Germany.

Friday, June 27th

Morning:  Thankfully, the flight was relatively uneventful and the team landed in Duesseldorf at 6am German time.  After passing through passport control, Steiffgal and Steiffpal ran to their connecting gate for their final leg to Stuttgart.  Once at the gate, the attendant "helpfully" told them that their flight was cancelled, and the next flight would be at 4pm, if space were available.  Oye veh - again!

Noon:  Steiffgal and Pal headed to the traveler's help desk, to see what the options were.  Already, they had lost a day at festival... not good!  They decided to take the train from Duesseldorf to Giengen - about a 5 hour ride.  After collecting their baggage and finding the station, they boarded a train for a one stop transfer to a connecting line.  Once at the station,  they discovered their connecting train has been cancelled!  Oye veh - yet another crazy curve ball in what should have been a straightforward 8 hour trip!

Night:  Finally, four trains later and after much standing in line, waiting on platforms, and wondering if they were traveling on the right trains and in the right direction... Steiffgal and Steiffpal arrived in Giengen around 4:30 in the afternoon!  Hallelujah!  The team made the quick walk from the Giengen train station to the company's campus.  And what a homecoming that felt like - after Wednesday, Thursday, and most of Friday in transit! After a few quick hellos, a kind friend took them to the Lobinger Hotel  - a five minute drive from downtown Giengen - where they could finally put away their baggage, freshen up, and start enjoying their time away! The Lobinger Hotel is pictured above on the left.  After a few beers, dinner with friends, and a quick walk to the convenience store across the street from the hotel, Steiffgal and Steiffpal hit the hay in anticipation of a fabulous weekend at Festival.

Saturday, June 28th

Morning:  The day started with a great German breakfast including lox,  muslix, and of course, hearty bread chock-full of seeds and nuts!  Steiffgal and Steiffpal squirreled away two giant pretzels from the buffet for a later-in-the-day treat.  Then they took the shuttle from the hotel to the Steiff campus.   

Immediately upon arriving at Festival, Steiffgal and Pal headed off to the vintage dealer area, where they met with longtime friends and sellers - and "circulated the economy" in a pretty enthusiastic way. Steiffgal purchased a number of unique items from several dealers in this area for friends, colleagues, and her store.  She felt like Santa Claus with her long "Steiff wish list" from friends in hand; however, she was only moderately successful in fulfilling these purchase requests.  This was probably because she arrived a day after opening day and many of these highly sought after items had already been sold.  She bought a 35 cm sitting German Pincher from the 1920's for her own collection; this beauty is pictured here to the left.  He is sitting, head jointed, and made from brown tipped mohair.  He was produced in 17, 22, 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm overall from 1914 through 1931.

After a few hours, Steiffgal and Pal found themselves in the Steiff sales area, which was a large tented space filled to the brim with new Steiff items from the Steiff warehouses and overproduction areas.  This sales area is traditional to the Festival and there are always great treasures to be found - including some one of a kinds and hand samples! The company constantly refreshed the displays throughout the event, so it was important to keep checking back. Here, Steiffgal purchased a number of gifts for friends, as well as a few unusual items for the store.  For herself, she found a somewhat unusual five ways jointed golden Winnie the Pooh, which she thinks was made as an exclusive for Japan a few years back.  Pooh, who is five ways jointed and is 24 cm standing, is pictured here on the left. 

Noon:  After a quick lunch of a giant pretzel and a cold beer, Steiffgal and Steiffpal toured the wonderful Steiff Museum, which features exhibits for kids, families, and vintage collectors as well.  As part of the weekend celebration, the lobby of the museum had a handsome display of two important Steiff Japan projects:  a collaboration with BMW, and a youth soccer (or football if you are not from the USA!) program for children impacted by the severe earthquake of 2011. The museum has many permanent, dynamic displays and vignettes, including one about Margarete starting the company which takes place in her early workshop, and another about Richard Steiff, which takes place in his creativity studio.  The museum also features a huge display of studio animals, hands on kids play areas, a multi-floor slide in the shape of a snake, and of course a breathtaking display of vintage Steiff treasures from  the late 1880's onward.  Steiffgal's favorite museum treasure was a fully jointed felt baby doll - something she had only read about in the past - who is pictured here in the upper left.  This dear dolly was produced in 28 and 35 cm in 1916 and 1917 only.

Night:  For many, one of the major highlights of the Steiff celebration weekend is the annual Teddy Dorado auction, which is held the Saturday evening of the event.  This year, Steiffgal read the catalog descriptions in English from the stage, while Pal wore the white gloves and presented many of the treasures to the audience. The auction featured 78 hand selected items at a spectrum of price points.  

The auction was especially meaningful for Steiffgal because it was there that she got to meet a new friend from the UK in person - one she had been Skyping and emailing with for almost a year!  This friend had discovered a very special item in an auction lot; this treasure turned out to be an extremely rare black Steiff bear!  After much consideration, the friend decided to sell this black bear, whom she named Black Jack, at the Teddy Dorado summer auction.  And what a good choice that was!  He realized over 18,000 euro!  He is pictured here above on the left. Other auction highlights that evening included a one of a kind mohair owl from the collection of Ava Steiff which realized over 9,500 euro; a Teddy Clown that realized almost 6,000 euro; and an unusual Teddy bear on a green mohair mat which realized over 9,500 euro (prices shown include the buyer's premium).  After the auction, which lasted over 2 hours, Steiffgal, Steiffpal, Black Jack's family, and the Teddy Dorado team all enjoyed a wonderful celebratory dinner at the Sud Italia restaurant in downtown Giengen.  

Sunday, June 29th

Morning:  There was no rest for the weary and after a quick breakfast, Steiffgal and Pal were back on the Steiff campus.  The first stop of the morning was back to the sales tent, where the team scored a few more good deals.  Pal picked up a few early style bears, and Steiffgal purchased more gifts for friends as well as an unusual long blonde mohair dog that looked like a cross between a lab and a chow chow.  He is pictured here above on the left. They then again walked the vintage sales area, where Pal bought a special black and white cow that she'd been after for awhile. 

Noon:  After a light lunch of pretzels and beer (are you starting to see a theme here?) the team decided to brave the rain and wind and take a foot tour of  Giengen.  The town itself is quite small, only about 17 square miles total.  The downtown has a few banks, restaurants, convenience stores, and retail stores all set within turn of last century or earlier buildings with cobblestone sidewalks, fountains, and lots of flowers in window boxes. It is really quite charming! After wandering about for an hour or so, Steiffgal and Pal found themselves at the birth house of Margarete Steiff, located just a stone's throw from the factory on Lederstrasse, or Leather Street.  The front of the house is pictured here above on the left. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for both travelers, and you can take this tour yourself (albeit virtually!) by clicking here!

Night: With jetlag and the frenetic pace finally catching up to them, sleepy Steiffgal and Pal grab said their goodbyes to friends on the Steiff campus and took the shuttle back to the Lobinger hotel. Upon arrival, they dropped off their bags and met a group of friends from the US and UK for drinks in the hotel lobby.  Over time, the group slowly migrated to the dining room, where everyone enjoyed a leisurely traditional southern German style dinner.  Steiffgal had a salad and pot roast with onion gravy, while Pal had veal schnitzel with fries.  Then it was back to the rooms for packing - and repacking - bags to fit within the airline's travel regulations, and a good night's sleep.

Monday, June 30th

Morning:  With bags packed, Steiffgal and Pal met friends for a quick breakfast in the lobby, and then checked out of their hotel.  They caught a ride with a colleague to the Stuttgart airport. Although it was pouring rain, the drive was interesting and very scenic. Once at the airport, they breezed through security and the plane - heading to London - took off and landed right on schedule.

Noon:  At Heathrow, Steiffgal and Pal did a little window shopping after the elaborate security screening.  A delightful surprise was seeing a Steiff bear featured in the window of Hamley's airport store!  Next on the airport agenda was the team's annual "last meal before crossing the pond" at Wagamama, where Steiffgal and Pal each had a delicious lobster and seafood salad and split an order of edamame - this yummy meal is pictured above on the left.  The plane did indeed board on time, and except for an hour long ground delay, took off and landed "relatively" on time and in a completely uneventful manner!  Yay!  Apparently the travel curse has been broken!

Night:  Steiffgal and Pal say their goodbyes in Logan Airport and promise to return to Giengen together in 2015!  

Steiffgal hopes this travel log has convinced you to attend Steiff Sommer 2015 - without the travel hassles, of course!

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

Steiff Dreams Can Come True - The Story of Black Jack From 1912

Have you ever watched a TV show where a regular person has literally "hit the jackpot" with an amazing boot sale, flea market, or auction find?  Well, this doesn't occur in reality very often!  However, it did happen in the most Steiff-like way to a terrific and lucky lady recently, who just happened to place the right bid at the right time on the right auction lot.  Here is an interview with her about this spectacular find; this conversation was first published in the Spring, 2014 Steiff Club magazine. 
 

Steiffgal:  Josie, thank you so much for speaking with us today!  Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Josie: My name is Josie Rockett, and I live with my family in Rye, in the South East of England. I am a full time Mummy to my three young children and most of my time is spent looking after them, our two dogs, and running our home. 

Steiffgal:  Are you a Steiff collector?

Josie:  I am a collector of vintage and antique Teddy bears. Our hug is fairly small and mostly consists of British bears; we actually only have a couple of Steiff bears in our collection. 

Steiffgal:  You had a very exciting find at auction recently.  Can you give us some background on that?

Josie:  I wasn't at the auction when I won the lot; it was an incredibly lucky twist of fate. I spotted a lot at a general auction being held at an auction house, there was no photograph, only a description. I liked the sound of it, took my chances, and placed a bid remotely. I was very happy to win the lot and my Father, who lives close to the auction house, went to collect it for me.

Steiffgal:   Your auction win turned out to be much more than you expected.  Tell us about opening up the old trunk and what you were thinking as you were going through its contents.

Josie:  Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to find. A week after the auction my Father came to visit us. On arrival he handed me an old red suitcase. As I opened the case, the first thing I saw were some dolls, some doll clothes, and some lovely Teddies. Then saw something wrapped in a blanket at the bottom of the case. I picked it up and started to unravel the blanket. The first thing I saw was a black mohair paw.  I then very slowly lifted the blanket off completely to find a beautiful black antique Teddy! My heart was pounding, I cannot tell you the excitement and joy that then erupted in our house! Had I just found an antique black Steiff bear?

Steiffgal: That is a fantasy situation that every Steiff collector dreams of! How did you know you might have a special treasure?

Josie: My first feeling was that he may be a Steiff bear from the moment I saw him. His shape and line and beautiful expression led me to feel that he could be a Steiff.  After an excited sleepless night, I got up the next morning, took some photographs, and sent them to off to Steiffgal. She confirmed that she too thought he was an early black Steiff bear. Based on where I was located, and what I had found, she suggested I contact Carsten Esser at TeddyDorado auction house about the bear.

Steiffgal:  You did take the bear Germany to meet Mr. Esser. Tell us about this trip.

Josie:  The trip to Germany was amazing! My Father came with me and we had such an adventure. Meeting with Carsten was wonderful; I was quite nervous but very excited. It was a little nail biting watching him examine the bear, but he did it with a smile and it wasn't long before we were all very excited! The next step was for the bear to go to Giengen for authentication, as he didn't have any Steiff IDs on him. It felt good to leaving the bear with Carsten.  Up until that point I felt like I had been his guardian. There was a little sadness but an overwhelming feeling of relief and happiness that he was in such safe hands.

Steiffgal:   You named the bear "Black Jack."  Can you tell us how that name came about?

Josie:  The name Black Jack was really given to him because he is a black Teddy bear. It is also quite lovely that my late Grandfather was called Jack. Both my brother and I were given names that started with a "J" as a tribute to him, so it is very special for him to have the name Jack.

Steiffgal:  How did you decide whether to keep the bear or sell him at auction?

Josie:  This was a very difficult decision. We did consider keeping Jack but after giving it a lot of thought we decided that he would be most at home in a fine Steiff collection or museum where he could be properly enjoyed. Our house is full of children and pets and in the short time I had him, he was wrapped up and hidden away for safety. If he were to stay with us, he would remain this way. I don't believe he wants to be hidden away anymore.  And I thought that the very best place for selling him would be through TeddyDorado at the 2014 Steiff Sommer Festival Auction, given that this event attracts the attention of almost every Steiff collector on the planet!

Steiffgal:  Jack went through a rigorous process by Mrs. Manuela Fustig, head of the Steiff Archive in Germany, in order to be authenticated as Steiff.  This certificate is pictured here for the readers to see. What went through your head when you learned that he received this certification?

Josie:  I can't tell you how amazing it was to hear that news, it was so great to be able to say "Black Jack is a Steiff bear!" From the day I found him up until that moment, it all felt like a dream. I think the news just made the whole situation more real for me.

Steiffgal:  Will you be going to the Steiff 2014 Summer auction to watch his sale? 

Josie:  Yes! It will be so lovely to say good-bye to Jack and wish him well for the next part of his journey. I think there is something magical about him coming back to his place of birth to find his new home. What an adventure he has been on! I have never been to Giengen and I am so looking forward to going. And, if I could tell his new owner one thing, it would be pretty simple.  Just love him!

Steiffgal:  Josie, thank you so much for sharing this amazing story with us! 

Steiffgal also had the pleasure of speaking with Carsten Esser, auctioneer at TeddyDorado, who will be selling Black Jack - who just happens to be lot 12-1912 in the company's June auction!  She asked him a few questions, to get a feeling of how important this bear is in terms of collector's interest and to the Teddy bear industry overall.  Here's what he had to say!

Steiffgal: Carsten, what were your thoughts about the bear when you first heard of him?

Carsten:   The first time I heard about that bear I thought "What a great find" - which I do not think very often as we frequently handle very old and near mint Steiff treasures here at TeddyDorado.  Then almost immediately after that I thought "Hopefully he is still in very good shape!" I requested photos, and when I received them, I thought, "Oh dear, he passed that level of examination in a brilliant way!" I wanted to learn more about the bear and do some research on him, so I offered the owner the opportunity to send us the bear as a consignment or at least to get a certificate of origin on him from the Steiff Company.  We decided to meet in person about the bear at hotel near the Cologne-Bonn Airport, which is close to our headquarters. 

Steiffgal:  What was it like to see the bear in the fur for the first time? 

Carsten:  When I first saw the Teddy bear he was wrapped in white silky paper - like fine clothes sometimes are. Then I took the white paper off and my first impression just was "Yes!" and I could not hide a bright smile on my face but I still was saying nothing I think. Then I carefully looked all over the bear, and studied his pattern, face, pads, and seams. He was in very good condition for being over a century old! I tried all his joints, and took a close look at his antique golden taffeta ribbon. I probably studied the bear very intensely for three minutes - and looked at nothing else in the room during this magical period. When I was done with the initial examination, I told the consignors that based on my experience and knowledge, they indeed had an original Steiff Teddy bear made sometimes between 1908 and about 1914 or 1915.   I also told the consignors that this bear never had red felt under his eyes, like the famous Steiff Titanic bears, and was probably even rarer than a Titanic bear!

Steiffgal:  So what happened next?  How did you prove the bear was indeed made by Steiff?

Carsten:  The consignors agreed to leave this bear with me, and I then brought it to the archival experts at Steiff in Giengen.  The bear spent the holiday season 2013/14 inside Steiff archives. A few months later, after much research, testing, and evaluation, we finally received the official documentation from Steiff indicating that this bear was authentic and manufactured in 1912.

 

Steiffgal:  So what was it like to receive this great news?

Carsten:  It was exciting and a great relief, but I always knew in my heart that Black Jack was made by Steiff. To me this Teddy bear is very special and absolutely in a class of its own like the other famous Steiff bears we have auctioned off at TeddyDorado, including Othello and Wistful Happy. It is also incredibly exciting that the Steiff company is creating a replica of Black Jack for their spring 2015 line.  This fabulous new collector's piece will debut at the 2014 Steiff Sommer Festival!  The speed of this replication and launch is unprecedented, and simply confirms Jack's universal appeal!

Steiffgal:  And now the last but hardest question.  What is Black Jack worth?

Carsten:  The opening bid is 8,000 euro, but even as the auctioneer,  I really do not have any idea what he will sell for in the end.  Time will tell, and we will all see what happens.  As with other high profile TeddyDorado auctions, there will be many photographers and media in the room when Black Jack goes under the hammer.  Everyone is very happy and excited that this magic moment is coming so soon!

Steiffgal:  Thank you for telling us more about Black Jack, and best of luck at the auction!

Steiffgal hopes that someday you have a Steiff find of a lifetime as well!

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

The Countdown Is On To The 2013 Steiff Sommer Festival And Teddy Dorado Auction!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least in Steiffgal's eyes! And just why is that? Well, early summer means the annual Steiff Summer Festival... along with the the marvelous Teddy Dorado Steiff auction! This yearly happening, which takes place right on and around the Steiff campus in Giengen, Germany on June 28th through the 30th, calls for Steiff enthusiasts from around the world to gather and celebrate all things button-in-ear... right where it all began! This year's Steiff auction features many precious items, including some never publicly seen items before, as well as some treasures with the most remarkable histories.  All the lots can be viewed by clicking here.  But right now, here are three items that really caught Steiffgal's eye from the catalog.  What do you think?

Let's get things moving with this first auction highlight, Lot 9-1908.  Here we have a 12 cm unjointed grey felt running rabbit on iron wheels.  He has black shoe button eyes and a stitched mouth.  His inner ears are lined in pink felt.  He is stuffed with excelsior.  He retains his original red velveteen taffeta neck bow and bell and trailing "F" style Steiff button in ear.  He is clean and in nice condition overall.   This design is really special as it appeared in the debut Steiff catalog of 1892.  Overall, this pattern was produced from 1892 through 1917; this example was made in the 1906 through 1917 time frame. 

And what makes this rolling rabbit a favorite?  Besides her affinity for all things on wheels, Steiffgal loves this rabbit's early, organic form that so perfectly represents what makes turn of last century Steiff items so classic - and so charming.  

It's time to take a look at this next "best of show" selection, Lot 9-1931.  Here we have a 29 cm sitting tail turns head St. Bernard dog.  He is made from long pile natural white and brown tipped mohair plush.  His face is detailed with brown and black glass pupil eyes and a dark brown hand embroidered nose and mouth.  He has a mechanism embedded in his neck which allows his head to turn when his tail is moved back and forth.  Besides his absolutely handsome appearance, this all but mint condition dog also retains his Steiff trailing "F" style button, red ear tag, named chest tag, and a special tag on his backside which reads "Turn here and I will move my head."  This pattern overall was produced in 11, 15, 18, 23, 29, and 36 cm from 1931 through 1934. 

What puts this St. Bernard on the "man's best friends" list?  His darling, and authentic facial expression and muzzle construction are irresistible.   And the fact that he still retains all of his IDs, especially the tush tag - is completely amazing, given he was made as a plaything almost 85 years ago!  But don't just take Steiffgal's word on it... this is such a marvelous pattern that it was was produced again as a limited edition replica in 1993 in an edition size of 4,000. 

This last Steiff selection, Lot 9-1997,  is truly royalty.  Perfectly and appropriately named "Teddy King Winter of Giengen," this beautiful bruin is five ways jointed and made from white long pile mohair plush.  His face is detailed with large black shoe button eyes and a copper colored stitched nose and mouth.  His joints are under laid with black and red felt and he has a working hug-me squeaker.  He retains his original Steiff trailing "F" button and remains of his white ear tag.  His four original felt paws and general condition are very good and just have a little minor wear consistent with his age.  He measures about 57 cm standing and 42 cm sitting.  Teddy King Winter of Giengen was produced in the 1906 through 1907 time frame.  

Bear with Steiffgal as she catches her breath over this terrific Ted.  What is not to love?  His size is majestic and impressive.  His clean white mohair coat looks like it was produced yesterday.  And his face, well, you know what Steiffgal means.  It really doesn't get much better than this bear. 

Carsten Esser, Teddy Dorado's owner and auctioneer, was kind enough to speak briefly with Steiffgal about the upcoming Teddy Dorado Steiff auction on June 29th.  This is the third year Teddy Dorado has hosted the auction, and it gets better and better each time!  Carsten is also a Steiff collector and enthusiast, and he brings this love and passion to each and every Steiff event he runs.  Here are some highlights from the conversation...

Steiffgal:  What is your personal favorite item in the Sommer auction, and why? 

Carsten:  My favorite item is probably auction lot 9-2013 (pictured here on the left.)  This is a painting that features two images Mr Hans Otto Steiff as he appeared in photographs from the 1960's, painted by the artist and long term Steiff employee Mr Helmut Braig.  The painting includes several colorful and expressive Steiff animals and is signed "Helm. Braig 2013".  Mr. Braig was a Steiff employee from 1937 to 1978.  The piece itself is framed and about 107 cm high and about 83 cm wide. 

I met Mr. Braig probably ten times in the last three years to speak him about the history of Steiff from his perspective.  Last December, I asked him if he would do a painting in acrylic
colors featuring Steiff animals; he had never done that before.  A few weeks later, just days before his 90th birthday, he sent me a photo of a painting and asked, "Are you fine with that?" - the painting showed Steiff animals arranged around a double portrait of Mr. Hans Otto Steiff, the company's very long term Steiff CEO in the 1960s and 1970's.  Mr. Braig and Mr. Hans Otto Steiff liked and honored the work of each other very much. Oh and yes, I am fascinated by that painting!

Steiffgal: Tell us a little story about finding some of the treasures in the upcoming Sommer auction. 

Carsten:  We were asked to help sell a very large, fine group of Steiff items that actually took up two whole collecting rooms in a home! The family who owned the treasures needed to reduce the collection to just one cabinet in order to install a day care room for their grandson who would be spending much more time in their home in the near future. Needless to say, the family was most interested in selling off those pieces that took up allot of space!  Of course Teddy Dorado could help out here.  From this collection, we are selling their exceptional, one of a kind display piece featuring the Steiff Sommmer event bears from 1997 through 2000 (lot number 9-2000, pictured here on the left), as well as their 100 cm Studio sized blond mask Teddy bear, (lot number 9-1982) among other fine items from their collection. 

Steiffgal:  Carsten, if you could auction off any Steiff piece ever created, which one would that be and why?

Carsten:  That is a good question, and I have several answers!   I really love antique Steiff center seamed felt dolls - especially the Indian and Samojede examples from the turn of last century.  For the newer items, favorites include the 1960's-era mohair Studio snake and the 1970's era Studio Toucan.  I wanted that bird so badly when I was a teenager!  But my dream situation would be auctioning off a prototype or the LED #1 of a "Teddy Dorado" bear made by Steiff for charity.  Maybe sometime in the future this dream could come true! 

Steiffgal:  Teddy hugs and thanks so much Carsten -  best of luck at the upcoming auction! 

Steiffgal hopes this virtual auction preview has bid up your excitement for this upcoming Steiff event on June 29th, 2013! 

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