This Rare Midcentury Steiff Cat Is Certain To Tickle Your Whiskers!

Here's a sweet Steiff rarity that walked in - and quickly walked out - on little cat's feet! This early postwar kitten just appeared in the line for a handful of years in the early 1950s, and has seldom made an appearance on the secondary market or in images since then. Check out this fabulous feline and see what makes her so interesting from the design and product development perspectives. 

This leisurely lovely is simply cataloged as "Cat." She is lying, head jointed, and measures c. 27 cm wide and c. 14 cm tall. She is made from very long, soft mohair which has some grey airbrushed highlights to it in all the right cat places. She has red hand embroidered claws on each foot. Her face comes to life with pert felt lined ears, a shorter mohair muzzle area, green and black slit pupil eyes, a pink hand embroidered nose and mouth, and clear monofilament whiskers. She retains her now faded blue silken ribbon. Her squeaker works, sometimes. As for IDs, she has her script style Steiff button, traces of her yellow ear tag, and her US Zone tag. This rarity was made in this size only from 1952-1953, technically in 22 cm. She has a lovely, old fashioned look to her. 

According to the Sortiment books, her article number is 2322,1. This translates to: 2=lying, 3=mohair, 22=22 cm, and ,1=squeaker... so everything aligns here!

A picture is worth a thousand words, and here is one of the very few photos Steiffgal could find in regards to this cat. Here on the left, you can see page 5 from Steiff's "Neuheiten 52" or "New Hits for 1952" catalog. Please click on the photo to make it bigger. Cat is pictured among Steiff's now legacy early wool plush Snobby poodles, a 17 cm wool plush camel, and a pair of Gussy cats. As the title of the catalog suggests, all of these specific items "debuted" in 1952. It is interesting to note that several of these newbies are made in wool plush, a substitute material mostly used just before and just after World War II. It is possible that in 1952, both the mohair supply and the ability to manufacture this premier toy making fabric were still not back to full capacity. Perhaps Steiff did what they have always done best in adverse situations - make lemonade out of lemons. In this case, they produced a number of wool plush items that really "popped" in this distinctive, readily available fabric. 

Now back to this pretty kitty. Why did she disappear in just a two year timeframe? It is interesting to note that in 1955, Steiff introduced their beloved lying "Fiffy" cat. This little love would go on to be produced in 12, 17, and 25 cm though 1962. Fiffy was head jointed and made from white mohair that was hand-airbrushed with black stripes. Like the cat under discussion here today, her little tail wrapped around her rear, and she came to life with green and black slit pupil eyes, a pink embroidered nose, mouth, claws, and clear monofilament whiskers. It is Steiffgal's best guess that Fiffy became Steiff's midcentury lying cat of choice based on a few factors. It is possible that Fiffy was faster and easier to manufacture, required less expensive materials, and had a more "updated," modern aesthetic than did the company's 1952-1953 lying cat. 

Steiffgal hopes this story about this rare mid-century cat really tickled your whiskers. 

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

Jumping For Joy Over This Early Steiff Rabbit With A Secret

Most collectors are all ears to learn more about a new Steiff find. So this one should get your nose twitching for sure! Check out this recent find from the recent London International Antique Doll, Teddy Bear, and Toy Fair. He's one hoppy handful indeed!

There's not a hare out of place with this sweet baby bunny. He measures 8 cm tall by 15 cm long. He is sitting, unjointed, and made from a soft white plush material called lamb's wool plush. This material has a short but "lumpy-bumpy" surface to it, like a real lamb. His ears are lined in pink velvet. His face comes to life with red felt backed black button eyes and a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. He retains a few of his original clear mono filament whiskers. His red ribbon is perfect for him but not original; his original accessories included a light blue ribbon and a little bell. Rabbit retains his original long trailing 'f" button as his Steiff ID. He was produced in 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1901-1924 overall.

Does this little guy have a familiar ring to him? Yes, for two reasons... one obvious, and one not so much.

The first is that his pattern is a legacy and very early one for Steiff. It was produced from the late 1800's onward in felt, velvet, and this lamb's wool plush. Like many of the company's initial designs, it is somewhat primitive (in the best way possible) with simple lines and a basic form. 

The second is that this rabbit is actually also a rattle. He has a noisemaker placed within his torso; this makes a distinctly "tinkle-tinkle" sound when he is shaken about. Of course, this is music to Steiffgal's ears! Steiff sometimes produced the smallest, or almost smallest, versions of popular items from the first quarter of the 20th century as rattles. Steiffgal has handled rattle bears, squirrels, dogs, cats, and now this rabbit - all discovered by serendipity! As far as Steiffgal knows, there is no reference book that lists what Steiff animals were made as rattles. So always gently shake a small, early Steiff find - you just might find it holds a playful secret!  The picture on the left is from Pfeiffer's Sortiment 1892-1943 and shows what this fun bun looked like when he left the factory in Germany a century or so ago. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this early rattle rabbit has you jumping for joy.

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

It's All Luck When It Comes To Steiff's Earliest Black Open Mouthed Tom Cats

There's no bad luck when it comes to collecting Steiff, even when things don't work out exactly as you had hoped! Recently, Steiffgal just stumbled across a very interesting item on the online auction site, eBay. The item was titled "Vintage Halloween Stuffed Black Cat Toy Arched Back Erect Tail."  Out of curiosity, she clicked on the photo to learn more, and was pretty much blown away over what she saw listed.  Can you guess what this item was?

It is most likely that this item is on every vintage collector's "meow mix!"  The listing for this cat exactly read... "We are offering a Halloween Black Cat with original red ribbon (faded) around neck with small brass bell. Stitched pink mouth  Plastic green eyes with black pupils. Height to top of arched back approx. 6"; height to tip of erect tail approx. 9"; front to back where tail begins approx. approx. 3 3/4".

Yes, all of this is exactly true - but for one major omission!  In Steiffgal's best estimate and based on the photos in the listing, the item was most likely Steiff's original OPEN MOUTHED Kater, or velvet Tom Cat, dating from as early as 1903!  

...And because the item didn't have an ear button, and perhaps never did, it could have been made in 1903 - a full year before the first "elephant" style ear buttons debuted on Steiff items in 1904! 

Just what makes this black beauty the cat's meow? The original Tom Cat was produced in both black and white velvet. Both versions were very skinny, standing on all fours, unjointed, and had arched backs and open mouths (like they were screeching or yawning). They all left the factory in Giengen, Germany wearing a silk ribbon and bell. Black Tom cats were produced in 10, 14, and 17 cm from 1903 through 1918. White Tom cats were produced in 14 and 17 cm for three years only - from 1906 through 1908 - and are exceptionally rare. Steiffgal has never actually seen an early white velvet Tom Cat.  

So you are probably wondering... did Steiffgal place the final bid on this Kater?  No, it appears that another bidder used a bit of auction "black magic" and was victorious only by a few dollars.  Such is life, you can't win 'em all.  

But here's the silver (button) lining for this cat tail (oops, tale!) While researching the eBay listing for the early Tom Cat, Steiffgal came across this photo - here on the left - of these same black cats from Gunther Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment Book.  Notice anything unusual about the larger cat in the photo?  He has a Steiff button IN HIS TAIL in addition to the one in his ear! How cool is that?  It is most likely a "muster" button, which was used very early on by Steiff on items considered samples, evolving designs, or prototypes. In general, the button indicated that the item was Steiff property and was not intended for sale or distribution.  "Muster" translates loosely from German to English as "pattern" and in a sense, these "muster" items were just that.  It is most unusual to find early Steiff items with buttons as well as muster buttons today.

Steiffgal hopes this Tom Cat auction adventure has been a pleasant paws in your day.

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