Less is more when it comes to Steiff's amazing palm-sized pets! And who wouldn't want to add a few petite treats to their Steiff hug? Although by nature more of a "dog person," Steiffgal recently had the the opportunity to adopt three utterly marvelous palm sized Steiff kittens into her collection. Check out this terrific trio and see what makes them the cat's meow in so many ways!
Steiffgal is totally smitten with these tiny kittens! Here we have three of Steiff's Tabby cats. They are standing, unjointed, and made from white mohair which has been highlighted with grey and detailed with black stripes. Their faces are brought to life with green and black slit pupil eyes, pink hand embroidered noses and mouths, and clear monofilament whiskers. Each wears a pink or red bow and a tiny brass colored jingle bell. Overall, postwar Tabby was made in 7, 10, 14, and 17 cm from 1949 through 1977.
Size also defies with these charming baby cats! Although they are "technically" labeled and cataloged as the 7 cm version (measured vertically from top of head to toe,) these Tabby cats actually vary from a little over 7 cm down to 6 cm. A centimeter plus or minus doesn't sound like a big difference here, but when things are actually this small, it has a huge effect on an item's scale and appearance.
It's never polite to ask someone's age, but in this case, it's makes for an interesting mystery! These "triplet" cats all have their raised script buttons, yellow ear tags, and red imprinted chest tags. This combination of IDs dates them all around 1952. However, when it comes to Steiff, things are never quite that simple... especially when it comes to identification and detailing on items from the late 1940's and early 1950's. There are a few very subtle differences between them that suggest that they may not all share the identical birth date!
- One Tabby has a tiny white linen "US Zone" tag sewn into his front leg seam; the others do not. This tag measures less than 1 square cm overall and is pictured above on the left. The US Zone tag was technically used on all items produced by Steiff in the 1947 through 1953 time frame.
- One Tabby has early style, "teal green" and black slit pupil eyes, while the others have more "soda bottle green" and black slit pupil eyes; this is pictured below.
- One Tabby's ear tag reads, "Steiff (in bold script) Original 1307,0 Made in Germany" while the others both read, "Steiff (in regular print) Orig. gesch. 1307,0 Made in Germany." Both of these styles of ear tags were used in the approximately 1952 time frame, and are pictured below.
- Each kitten has a silk ribbon; however they are not matching in color. One ribbon is not original, but in the correct "color palate" to the others.
So what does all this mean? Here are two things to keep in mind...
First and foremost, it is important to remember that these sorts of vintage Steiff items were all made by hand, so slight differences in size and general appearance are to be expected. And this truly does magnify with smaller items, where there is less "wiggle room" for differences. Most collectors would agree that these variations only add to the appeal and charm of Steiff treasures.
Secondly, these items were made during a less than optimal production period at Steiff (circa WWII) where the company was dealing with limited supplies and resources. During this time, it would not be unusual to use pre-war materials on post war produced items, as the company has traditionally used "what's on hand" for manufacturing and ID purposes. For example, in this case, the blue-green eyes on one of the Tabby cats could have easily come from pre-war stock, while the Tabby herself may have been made post war. And, to complicate things even more - given Steiff did indeed make a 7 cm grey and white striped Tabby cat from 1936 through 1943 - this Tabby could have even been made pre-war, tucked away during the war, and then buttoned, labeled, and sold postwar! Only she knows for sure!
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on these baby kittens reminds you that good things indeed come in threes!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Well, it is safe to say that this week's Steiff auction at Julia's was the main, or in this case the MAINE Steiff event of the early summer! On Friday, June 13th, James D. Julia, Inc. auctioned off over 120 treasures from the Chuck and late Cathy Steffes collection of magnificent Steiff rarities. The auction, held at Julia's headquarters in Fairfield, Maine, attracted attention, bids, and visits from collectors all over the globe! Here's a first-hand report of some of the highlights and fun associated with the event.
And we're off! Julia's official auction preview period started on Tuesday morning, June 10th. During preview, the auction facility was set up to display the lots on offer, and without a doubt the hall looked more like a museum of fine arts or treasures than anything else. In this case, all the Steiff bears were presented majestically on shelves in glass-doored display cabinets. Visitors were allowed to handle and examine any item - even the "crown jewel" treasures - which in this case were the Steffe's Titanic bear,
Teddy Clown bear, Petsy bear, and rod bear. Julia's set up inspection stations - which included draped tables, bright lights, and even high powered magnifiers - so potential buyers could literally examine each Steiff item on a stitch-by-stitch level! Julia's also provided snacks and meals throughout the entire four day preview event, as looking at the finest Steiff in the world can certainly build up one's appetite!
Preview lasted through Friday morning, just before the auction got started at 10am, and was a beehive of activity! Many visitors arrived on Thursday, June 12th, and it was so much fun to see old friends reunite, as well as see strangers immediately connect over this marvelous collection. People traveled from all across North America to attend the event in person, including collectors from New England, California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and even Canada. Several press and media professionals also attended preview, and it was clear they also were falling under the spell of this remarkable hug. Steiffgal had the once in a lifetime opportunity to receive a personal tour of the collection from Chuck Steffes, were she learned the back stories behind some of the bears. It was particularly moving to learn which were Cathy's favorites, and why.
The Steffes collection consisted mostly of spectacular bears, cats, and
rabbits. Chuck told Steiffgal that he and Cathy originally set out only
to collect bears when they began their hobby three decades ago. It was only within the last several years that they began adding cats and rabbits to their hug - in part to add a new focus and dimension to the collection.
By about 9:30am on Friday, many people had taken their seats in the auction hall, but it was clear that many more chairs would have to be added to accommodate the overflow crowd. Most folks, when asked why they came to the hall instead of watching the auction on the Internet, said that they wanted to see this sale in person as they felt it was an important moment in the Steiff collector's community. At 10am, auctioneer and company owner Jim Julia approached the podium and welcomed the crowd. He introduced the staff and explained the logistics of the auction. He then did something most unexpected - he gave a beautiful and gracious tribute to Cathy Steffes, and thanked Chuck and the family for the opportunity to share her passion and exquisite collection with the world. Then Jim began the exciting event!
Today in the auction world, a very small percentage of auction bidders are actually live in the audience, and that was no different for this auction. Many bidders placed pre-bids by phone, fax, or mail. Others watched and bid online through the e-platforms Proxibid and Invaluable. At this auction, there were a large bank of phone operators working with customers from all over the world. It was really entertaining to watch them juggle pens, phones, paperwork, and bid cards - while at the same time giving a play by play description of the auction proceedings and encouraging participation from their telephone bidders. Rumor has it that royalty from far away could have been on the other end of one of those phone lines!
It took about 90 minutes overall to auction the Steffes lots - but the time felt like the blink of an eye to Steiffgal. There were plenty of highlights throughout the auction - and like all events like this, some people even scored with some fine buys that escaped the radar of other collectors.
Lets button things up and take a look at notable Steiff Teddy bear sales! These included lot 3002, a gorgeous 70 cm early white mohair cub who sold for $14,220; lot 3008, a 38 cm rod bear who also sold for $14,220; lot 3009 a 50 cm yellow "Happy" bear who sold for $13,035; and lot 3025 a 31 cm black Titanic mourning bear who sold for $35,550. Perhaps the biggest surprise was lot 3010, an utterly charming circa 1910 60 cm gold mohair bear who came with a photo of his original owners and a letter explaining his history. Estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, he sold for $21,330.
Felines seemed to be the cat's meow with collectors during this sale. There was great interest in lot 3036, a very early velvet cat with an elephant button that sold for $7,703; lot 3035, an unusual mohair tail moves head cat from the early 1930's that sold for $3,851; lot 3013, an irresistible tiny "Fluffy" kitten on a cotton-candy pink mohair pincushion that sold for $7,110; and lot 3032, a simply marvelous, very early 15 cm six ways jointed cat with all IDs that sold for $10,665.
And finally, let's hop to it an check out the rabbit highlights. Collectors jumped at lot 3015, an extremely rare 33 cm fully dressed Jack Rabbit who sold for $7,703; lot 3017, a 34 cm lilac mohair colored begging rabbit who sold for $7,110; lot 3042, a bright orange begging mohair rabbit on olive green wheels who sold for $2,963; and lot 3100, a sweet and petite bright orange mohair begging rabbit rattle who sold for $2,015. All prices noted include the buyer's premium, which is 18.5%.
Overall, this was a magical event on many levels. This gathering allowed the Steiff community to come together and honor the Steffes for their remarkable commitment to the brand, as well as remember Cathy, who was a good friend to many in attendance. The event invigorated many dormant collectors - who learned about the sale through friends, the Internet, newspaper articles, or other industry channels - and it was wonderful to welcome them back to the world of Steiff. The sale also was like a calling to active collectors across North America to come together to share their love of Steiff, as there has not been such a Steiff-centric event in the USA in quite some time. And finally, this happening has brought much joy to many collectors who now have new Steiff memories, as well as treasures, to add to their hugs. When Steiffgal cataloged this collection many months ago - after writing up and examining each item - she gave each treasure a hug and small kiss, and promised each one it soon would have a new loving home. At last the circle is complete.
Steiffgal hopes you have enjoyed this report on the Steffes Steiff auction as much as she has relished preparing it for you!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
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